Game Over: The 175th Annual Hunger Games
by Calamity Heart
Summary: In the wake of the second failure to overcome the Capitol, the Hunger Games dredged on. 100 years afterwards, it's time once again, and this time, the tributes must endure the most interestingly bizarre Quell to date. Back and better than ever! This story got deleted in the massive purge, but it's back, and now that it's no longer an SYOT, it's here to STAY! Read on, Hungry Gamers!
1. Sneak Preview: Marie and Agate

**(A/N: I'm back and I'm MAAAAAAD as hell! Apparently, a nice little community known as Critics United has the utmost respect and decency to report my story (most likely en masse), and cause all of my hard work to vanish! Isn't that the nicest thing? No warning or anything, just 15K+ words and 150+ reviews, poof! And an admin banned me from typing for a few days, too, to 'punish' me for something unfathomably innocent. Some people…**

**But never fear, loyal Hungry Gamers. Like a stubborn phoenix, I shall rise from the ashes, twice as powerful! GA175 is back, and it's here to STAY, because technically, this is no longer an SYOT. I have all my characters, I'm not doing sponsor questions anymore (that's probably what killed me u_u), and the T-List is gone, so there's no evidence! So unless I do something stupid again, Critics United has nothing on me anymore! :D**

**TeamAvatar was as mad as I am, seeing as we both worked hard on this story. I would agree, SYOTs and such -are- against the rules, for whatever reason, but the way that FanFiction just uncaringly handled that was completely wrong and unacceptable. Removing at least 1000 good stories from hard-working authors, some of which were _completed months ago_, so now, not only can we not enjoy them, but authors were unrightfully banned from submitting! I find that despicable. I would've thought that FanFiction would've been smarter and _less_ ruthless in that regard. Smh...**

**Now that my rage has been slaked, I welcome you to the new and improved GA175. The story being wiped has given me an excuse to go back and fix mistakes I made in previous chapters, adding to them as well. TeamAvatar has not only helped me with the arena now, in her blistering fury, she has decided to collaborate with me and fine-tune the other chapters. Trust me. This story is about to get **_**twice**_** as epic as it was before…**

**Now, without further ado: my triumphant return!)**

~Marie's POV~

I fuddle idly with the remote control in my hand, trying to decide if I should watch the announcement again before they come… I'm going to have to play it again eventually, anyway, since the rest of my family didn't see it yet. My back sinks into the plush couch and my toes wiggle on the soft carpeting. Life in District One is good, indeed, I consider. I wonder how other Districts have it…

Meh. I shrug and cross my left leg over my right, adjusting my furry golden bathrobe as the remote continues to hang leisurely in my grasp. My toes need clipping… Just as I reach for my make-up kit on the end table, Melanie storms in.

"You're keeping it paused, right?" my sister asks, out of breath.

"Of course I'm keeping it paused." I reply with a roll of my eyes. "Why have you been running? You know you have asthma."

"S-Sorry…" she sighed, trying hard and failing to catch her breath. Her hands fall to her knees, and I reach over to my make-up kit again. Instead of clippers, though, I pull out a small inhaler, handing it to my sister. She nods graciously and takes a large puff of the gaseous medicine. I smile as her throat visibly untightens and she breathes in deeply again. "Sorry. Mommy wanted me to make super-sure."

"Tell Mommy that it's still paused. And walk this time." I tell her sternly.

Melanie nods before disobeying me immediately, scampering off swiftly with the inhaler still clutched in her little hand. Sigh… Little sisters are annoying. I go digging through the make-up kit again, unsuccessful in finding the damn clippers, but somehow capable of fishing a mirror out instead… I shrug and decide that now is as good a time as any to look at myself. My blonde hair is still full and shimmery, my green eyes are still bright and sharp. My face is still soft, supple, and blemish-free, and my lips are in need of some shining…

I snort and put the mirror down before setting the remote down as well and rummaging through the leather pink bag again. I'm looking for lip gloss now, but lo and behold, I find my nail clippers. I want to swear, but I'm sure Nana will hear it with her giant bat ears, and she doesn't permit swearing in the house… So I grumble instead and start clipping my toes.

"Markus?" I hear my grandfather's voice from across the hall. The name causes my hand to twitch and I end up making my center toenail look stripped and jagged. Goddammit… No sandals for me today, I guess.

"Markus, where are you?" my grandfather's confused voice calls. I blink sadly at him as he hobbles in on his cane. I almost can't bear to remind him again…

"Grandpa, Markus is dead, remember? H-He died two years ago, in the Hunger Games." I say, my throat tightening a little. Now I wish I had Melanie's inhaler…

"Dead? What kind of nonsense is th- Oh…" my grandfather's voice drops as it comes back to him. Markus was his favorite grandchild. He was his first grandchild. And he refused to believe that he was really dead, even though we all watched him get pushed off a cliff by the District Five boy… All that denial has affected his mind, and now, sometimes he really _does_ believe Markus is alive. We have to remind him he's not, because hearing him talk as if he was still here hurts. Badly.

To fight back my tears, I distract myself with my toenail-cutting again, working on my middle toe to make it appear less gruesome… When I'm done with my toes, I dig through the kit again and start to get frustrated when I find something that isn't even make-up: a flower hair braid in the shape of a marigold. I start to put it back, but I remember that I plan on volunteering this year, and this is as good a token as I'm probably going to get, so I stick it in my hair.

"Oh, good, it's paused!" I hear my mother's voice sigh in relief. She runs into the room holding Melanie by the hand, who is breathing generously through her inhaler. My father and grandmother are not far behind, and soon, we're all squishing me in the center of the couch as I slowly reach for the remote to press play.

~Agate's POV~

The newborn light of the early morning slowly started to rouse me from deep, peaceful slumber… I can tell immediately that it was a good night, because I can't remember a damn thing I did since noon yesterday, when I met to celebrate my soon-to-be tribute status for the 175th Annual Hunger Games with Stark, my best bud, and Coral, my girlfriend, the sexiest little tail to ever waggle in District One. That chocolate brown hair, that supple, tanned skin, those sultry onyx eyes, and her voice… That voice of hers made such an impression on me; it's almost like I can hear her breathing right in my ear.

It takes me several pondering moments in order to realize that it _is_ her breathing - well, snoring, rather - in my ear. I turn my head and smile as I look into her sleeping face, half-nuzzled into the crook of my arm. My other hand reaches around to prod her gently on the nose. Her lip twitches, so I repeat the motion until she giggles and opens her eyes.

"Good morning, handsome." she coos in that sweetly elegant voice, leaning over and kissing me softly on the lips. I chuckle, pulling her closer to my bare chest. Admittedly, I'm disappointed to feel that she's wearing pajamas. Perhaps last night wasn't as good a night as I had imagined. Nevertheless, I happily kiss her on the forehead.

"Sweet dreams, gorgeous?" I ask her, my waking golden eyes focused only on her and not the fact that this was not my bed I was in. Not my room. Not my house. This doesn't dawn on me until I hear a knock at the door and a voice that's not my mom's.

"Coral? Are you awake yet?" the gruff voice inquires. Immediately, Coral's eyes widen.

"U-Uh… Yeah, Daddy, I'm awake!" she calls back, cursing under her breath as she rolled out of my grip and off of the bed. I just sit up and blink, still unsure if I should be panicking or not. When I see the fearful glimmer in Coral's bright black orbs, I assume that I wasn't invited to stay with her last night under her parents' permission…

"Oh, well, may I come in?" Coral's father asks. That's when I really start to panic, and roll out of her bed, too, landing mostly silently on my hands and knees.

"No, don't! I'm, uh, not dressed yet! I'm naked, don't come in!"

I try my hardest to stifle my laugh, and Coral shoots me a death glare, mouthing for me to 'get under the bed'. Nodding quickly and allowing my agility training to kick in, I drop to me stomach and swiftly roll underneath her bed, which is raised just enough to house me, but keep me hidden at the same time.

As I look out the narrow slot that the space under her bed allows me, my mind goes into a silent rage as her pajamas quickly drop to the floor. For all I know, my girlfriend is naked about four feet ahead of me and all I can see are her feet and ankles! Those feet and ankles scamper over to the right, and I can hear the shuffling of her closet door opening. About a minute later, I hear her voice again.

"Alright, Daddy, I'm decent!"

I hold my breath as her bedroom door opens. I've never seen Coral's father before, but judging by the size of his feet, I'd reckon he's big enough to snap me in half with a sneeze. I'm not scrawny, mind you, but this man is obviously titanic.

"Well, you look ready for the Reapings already. That's good; we have to leave in thirty minutes." her father's stern-sounding voice said. "Are you volunteering today?"

"I'll try, Daddy." she said.

"Good, sweetheart. And if you aren't able to, don't fret about it. You've still got two more years."

The giant feet turn and walk back out the door. She kicks the bedframe to give me the 'all clear' and I roll back out from under the bed, giving a small whistle as I admire Coral's attire: a tight blue button-up and a white pleated miniskirt.

"Hurry and get dressed before he decides to come back." she says quickly, handing me the dark jeans and red T-shirt I apparently wore yesterday. A little wrinkled, but it'll have to do. As I dress, Coral opens up the window, gesturing to a thick branch outside. I give my girl one parting kiss goodbye before leaping out and landing firmly on the branch.

"See you at the Reaping!" I call back as I make my way down the tree, sprinting away from her estate and starting to jog to the square, toward my mother's apartment, until I remember I don't live there anymore… All my stuff got moved to my dad's mansion yesterday. Now that I remember that I live in a different house, I almost don't want to go there anymore. But I stuff my hands in my jean pockets and turn around, starting to walk toward the looming mansion a little ways down the road.

My dad is a jerk. He and my mom got a divorce several years ago for what he called 'irreconcilable differences', but my mother loved him. The only one with a problem was him. The whole reason he married her was to take her money in the divorce. As one of the richest men in District One, he has an army of lawyers as well as ample amounts of bribe money for judges… Recently, my mom made him angry, so he took her to court _again_ and ended up getting custody of me. I, of course, had no say in the matter…

As I approach his door, it opens before I get a chance to reach out my hand, and a woman stops short when she sees me. I stop short as well.

She's a little bit taller than me, with striking red hair, bright wide green eyes, and juicy red lips. Red nail polish adorns her finger and toenails, and she's wearing red track pants and a bright violet sports bra over a rather impressively rounded chest. As we stare at each other, she takes a slow sip of the strawed water bottle in her hand before speaking.

"You must be Agate! So good to finally meet you!" she said, leaning down and giving me a kiss on the cheek. I'm unsure how to feel about this. I have a girlfriend. I don't know this woman. She's hot… "I was _just_ saying goodbye to your father! I have to go get ready for the Reapings; when you see your father could you give this to him?"

The woman, who I'm starting to vaguely recognize, slips a ring made of pure diamond off of her finger and drops it into my hand before sliding past me and bumping me with one of her swaying hips as she trots off. I stare after her for a second, before remembering that I have a girlfriend and shaking the lewd thoughts out of my head.

I glance back at her one more time before walking into my father's house. The place is just like my dad: always cold and hard to get around. There's twenty minutes left until the Reapings and I spend five of them trying to navigate my way through this maze of a mansion to find my dad sitting in his study and watching a repeat of the announcement of the Quell.

The speaker is President Phoenix Centari himself. He's only twenty-four, and his been sitting on his dictatorial throne for only five years, but his charisma has captured the Capitol's heart. He's young, articulate, and smarter than most of Panem. The camera is zoomed tight into his features. His hair is glossy brown. Too glossy. It's probably dyed. His eyes are an unnaturally bright golden. Most likely contacts.

"Welcome!" his suave and smooth voice starts on the screen. "Welcome, all, present or otherwise, to the obligatory Reading of the Card for the seventh Quarter Quell of the 175th Annual Hunger Games!"

Wow, that was a mouthful… He takes a slow breath before continuing.

"As many, if not all of you, know, every twenty-five years, we celebrate the brave souls that are delivered into the Capitol to fight for the glory of their District by paying homage to the dastardly villains who would oppose the love and generosity that the Capitol has apparently 'overbore' on its boroughs. We at the Capitol would like to emphasize that it is _not_ the Districts being punished, but those many who would strive toward a foolish independence when all we have is each other to depend on."

He raises a good point… I can see my father cross his arms and nod slowly at the television. The audience at the City Square in the Capitol is going crazy with applause.

"And now, without further ado, the special condition of this year's special Games!" he calls. A little boy skitters up onto the stage and hands the President an ornate wooden box with a card adorned with a golden number '175' sitting regally on a velvet red cushion. President Centari takes the card and looks at it for a long moment before reading it to the audience.

"To remind the rebels that in both instances of dissention, they were merely players in a game already won, the Games this year will take on a concept known in the Old World as the 'video game'. This year's tributes will be translocated into the Games' first ever fully-virtualized arena!"

My eyebrows begin to furl. A video game..? Whatever this is about, it sounds bizarre. What _is_ bizarre is what happens after the announcement is made. Not on the screen. The television itself.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in yo-"

Before the President can finish, the TV goes to static… I can't see from here, but I think my father's eyebrows rise.

"What do you need, Agate?" he asks, now that there's nothing keeping him from talking to me.

I shrug and walk into his study, placing the diamond ring on the table beside his hand. "A woman was leaving when I arrived. She wanted me to give that to you."

He stares at the ring for a long moment before his hand closes around it.

"You've got seven minutes to get to the Reaping." he says curtly, taking out a pen and paper and starting to write. "I'll be there; go."

"Fine." I shrug. Pretending to adjust the collar of my shirt to telegraph closure, I walk out of his study. "Oh, yeah, I'm volunteering this year, in case you were wondering."

He stops writing just as the door closes to his study.

~Marie's POV~

I yawn softly, shaking my hair out of my eyes as I stand in my corral with the other seventeen-year-olds, listening to Mayor Pimmsbrook conclude her reading of the Treaty of Treason. It never gets better, no matter how many times you've heard it, and I've been hearing it for as long as I can remember…

For the fifth time, I check my outfit to make sure that I still look as good as I did this morning: long-sleeved crisp white blouse, no bra. I find all forms of brassieres uncomfortable, so I just don't wear them. Short grey skirt, no panties. What have panties ever done for me, besides chafe me? Ugh…

Being on the edge of the corral, I lean over and squint, looking for the poof of similar light blonde hair that would indicate Melanie, my sister. I smile as I find her, then fret slightly… Do I really want to volunteer..? Follow right in my brother's footsteps..? Risk leaving my family with one less child in a Quell I know nothing about? Then again, neither will the other tributes… My mind wars with itself, and the more I think, the less confident I feel.

I look behind me, past the eighteens and spot my parents and my grandparents. They spot me, too, and wave. I give a weak wave back, then turn back, disheartened, to the stage as our Mayor departs and our escort, Harmonee Valkry bounces up onto the stage.

"Welcome, kiddies! Welcome, welcome, welcome! We at the Capitol are very excited for our two lucky tributes, whomever they may be! We are aware that there have been technical problems in Districts Three and Five, so, unfortunately, we are unable to present our annual three-minute promo to you."

This 'bad news' manages to stir up applause out of the tribute candidates, and Harmonee pretends to wipe a tear from her eye. "On the bright side, we get to announce our lucky tributes three minutes earlier! Now, without further ado, our female tribute!"

Harmonee starts to jog over to the female Reaping Ball, filled with colorful pink slips, but I don't care. I've made my mind up. I'm not even going to try to volunteer this year. I… I just feel there's too much at stake. My dark green eyes grow darker and downcast, and I sigh as she picks out the card and clears her throat.

"Melanie Gold!" she announces. Instantaneously, my blood begins to rush. My twelve-year-old sister just got Reaped! As I watch her start toward the stage, I can already see that she's starting to wheeze. N-No problem, right..? Someone will volunteer for her, right..?

I gasp when I see her start to try and breath heavily again, and she drops to her knees. I'm so shocked, so scared, that everything I had just thought about goes out the door, and before I know it, I'm racing my rival, sixteen-year-old Coral Burke, to Harmonee at the stand. We are both screaming 'I volunteer!' at the top of our lungs, but I ultimately reach the stage first, lifting my choking sister to her feet and sticking her inhaler into her mouth for her. She takes a couple of deep puffs before sighing. She hugs me with gratitude as I tell her to get back to her corral.

"Oh, joy! And what would your name be, sweetie?" Harmonee asked, patting me on the head.

"Marie Gold, her sister. I volunteer as tribute for the 175th Annual Hunger Games!"

I stick my tongue out at Coral as she glumly walks back to her place in her corral, and the rest of the District cheers for me. For the moment, my anxiety is allayed.

~Agate's POV~

I clap along with the other 18-year-olds at Marie's display of loyalty and bravery for her sister, even though I'm upset that Coral didn't get her spot. I watch as Harmonee skips over to the boys' Ball, picking out a name and reading it.

"Clark-"

"No! I volunteer!" I declare, rushing from my place and reaching the stage first. "I'm Agate von Grievous and I volunteer as District One's male tribute for the 175th Annual Hunger Games!"

"Excellent, excellent! Come on up, honey!" Harmonee squeals. I walk up the stage and stand in front of Marie, shaking her hand firmly.

"District One! It is my great honor to present to you your Quell Tributes for the 175th Annual Hunger Games! May the odds be _ever_ in their favor!"

~Marie's POV~

My heart starts to flutter as I take the boy's strong hand. I get so internally excited that my free hand begins to reflexively trail across the narrow scar on my arm that, to this day, I cannot remember where I received it… Anyway, Agate's younger than me, but he's taller by about three inches. That straight brown hair, those face-melting golden eyes… Oh, and those abs… They pop right out of that tight red shirt! I've seen Agate before, and I've always had eyes for him… But _he's_ had eyes for that girl Carol, who I just beat out for my spot as a tribute. My eyes turn back to the crowd, and I wave, conscious that I may not see this place again.

But with Agate by my side as tribute? Hm… There are worse people that I could die with. Tee hee! I shoot him a sly glance as we're herded into the Justice Building to await our goodbyes.

~Agate's POV~

I drum the tips of my nails against my teeth as I wait in the plush, cushy-looking space within the Justice Building, waiting for people to come say goodbye to me. I know there'll be at least four coming, and I'm sure it'll either by Stark or Coral coming first. Stark wins.

"Hey, there, champ!" he chuckles as he walks in. I can tell, he's exhausted from last night's fun endeavors, as well. "You score last night?"

"Nah, don't think so… She was in pajamas when I woke up." I say with a shrug.

"Too bad, bud. Ah, well, you'll have plenty of time to snatch that tail up when we get back, am I right?"

"Tch, yeah, I guess." I say, rolling my eyes. Stark's green eyes squint as he looks down at me.

"What's up with you, dude? Coral bother you about something, or what?" he asks.

"Family troubles are finally coming down on me, I guess. Don't worry about it, man." I tell him.

Stark smiles and nods. "Well, dude, I gotta bounce. See you when you get back!" he calls as he turns and walks for the door, which the Peacekeepers kindly open for him. After he leaves, I'm left in silence again until the door opens an indeterminate time later. I expect to see Coral walking in when I lift my head up.

"Oh, hey, Mom." I say with a slightly surprised raise of my thin brown eyebrows. My mother's signature golden eyes, which I inherited, look cloudy and distracted, and the way they look moist makes me think that she's holding back tears. "I-"

Before I can continue, my mom has walked forward and wrapped her arms around me.

"Now I'm going to miss you even more…" she whispers to me sadly. I sigh and hug her back. That's one of two things she says to me, and we just hug for a long time, until the Peacekeepers come to escort her out. "Come back to me, Agate. Please."

That's the last thing I hear my mother say before the door closes behind her. Minutes later, the next person enters. I look up and smile as Coral stares proudly at me, smiling just as bright. I stand as she starts toward me, and within moments, we're wrapped in each other's arms, kissing eagerly. She's so warm, ad being as close to her as I am sparks up something inside of me… before I really know what's going on, the buttons of her blue blouse are already popping between my fingers, just enough so I can see she's not wearing anything underneath. With the fire raging in my chest now, I grip either side of the opening of her blouse when it's completely unbuttoned, but her hands swiftly grasp mine before I can pull the tight shirt away from her.

"Ah, ah, ah…" she whispers to me. "That's only a sneak preview of what to expect when you come back…"

I stare longingly as she rebuttons her blouse and gives me a quick kiss before strutting out and leaving me stunned and determined. With that kind of incentive, there's no way I'm going down. I am coming back home, victorious.

The last person to come visit me is my father, in all of his regality and coldness. There's a long moment of scanning me before he speaks.

"I suppose it's a little too late to ask you if you're really sure about this." he deep voice sighs.

"What does it matter to you, anyway? You don't care about me. You only fought for my custody because my mom pissed you off." I snap.

"You're not wrong," he starts. That actually hurts a little. I half-expected him to get angry and start denying my accusation. "However, despite the awkward and painful situation I've forced you into concerning me and your mother, I do care about you, Agate. Four marriages, and you're my only child."

"That only means you pretended to love my mom longer than the other three." I respond bitterly.

"In a sense. But your mother and I are an entirely different subject." he replies in that calm undertone again. "Agate, I've broken many oaths and have lied to countless people: judges, juries, Mayor Pimmsbrook, all four of my ex-wives. But the one person I swore I'd never tell a lie to is my only child. That's worth _something_."

I open my mouth to retort, but then I realize he may be right. For as long as I can remember, he's always told me the truth, even when I didn't want to hear it. The truth always ended up being better for me in the end.

"Dad, do you think I can win this?" I ask him. I had to. And I can tell, he was waiting for that question. He steps forward ad grabs my hand, placing something inside of it.

"No," he says, ad my heart starts to quake, even though I've never cared much for my dad's opinion before now. He releases the object and lets go of my hand and I see that he's placed into my palm that pure diamond ring that the lady from earlier was wearing. The ring that would be my token. "But I'm hoping you can prove me wrong."

I half-hope he'll smile at me as he leaves, but I've never seen him smile - or happy, for that matter - before, and I have no such luck now. He walks out, and I'm left in silence until the Peacekeepers come to take me to the train station.

**(A/N: And there you have it! TA and I will be fine-tuning every single chapter since before the most current, and we'll be updating EVERY day! :D I'll post District Two sometime tomorrow, so stay tuned, Hungry Gamers!**

**Till next time! Bye bye!)**


	2. For That Reason: Rhymer and Jet

**(A/N: Surprise! Second update of the day! :D This was a bit of a challenge at some parts, but I hope you all enjoy how I upgraded the Reapings! n_n Let's reintroduce ourselves to Rhymer and Jet, shall we? :3**

**Onward!)**

~Rhymer's POV~

As the sleek silver train approaches the station, the cheers immediately begin to erupt around me. I'm cheering, myself, and my tiny eleven-year-old voice seems to rise louder than any other for some reason. Either that, or everyone else is getting quieter. By the time the train slides into a smooth halt with the bay doors directly in front of us, I'm certain it's the latter. I'm still cheering loudly, but everyone else has fallen silent, even though they still look like they're cheering. My ears must be so blood-pumped that all I can hear is myself. Yeah, that makes sense.

The bay doors open slowly, and I'm so stuffed with rushing blood that I can hear my heart beating quicker and quicker. And then he steps out of the train to be welcomed into the arms of his proud District, fourteen-year-old Alto Herriot, Victor of the 169th Annual Hunger Games.

He waves and smiles to several of his fans around him, but then he sweeps his dark hair out of his beautiful blue eyes and looks straight at me. My heart stops for a moment, and as he walks toward me, he starts to age before my eyes. Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen… By the time he's right in front of my young form, he's the age that he is today: twenty years old. Before I know it, I start to grow and age as well. Twelve, thirteen, fourteen… Not only am I growing, everything except him seems to melt. The audience, the train, the station, the sky, District Two, my clothes…

By the time I am my age today, seventeen, I'm fully exposed to him, and the two of us are surrounded by darkness, around, above, and underneath us. Only us… My face gets hot as his eyes run themselves slowly over my body. It gets hotter when he takes my face in his hands and pulls me in for a kiss…

The smallest fraction of an instant before our lips meet, Alto suddenly begins yelling at me in a weird, blaring shrill. It's so surprising that I screech out, and then my eyes open, into reality. I glare angrily at the digital clock on my bedside table, smashing the buttons on the top blindly until the alarm cuts off. I groan and cover my groggy face with the hand I used to hit my alarm, then I sit up slowly and run my fingers through what I can of my bright blonde hair. I put it in a tight bun when I sleep, so I don't get it all tangled and unkempt.

Alto… My dream finally starts to come back to me. It's the same dream I've been having on and off for a few weeks now… I lift the covers to see if I need to change the sheets again… …Dammit. I sigh as I climb out of bed and strip my mattress, throwing the sheets and my pajama bottoms into my dirty clothes hamper, then I decide that since I'm already half-naked, I might as well throw my top in the wash, too. I scamper agitatedly over to my bathroom and scamper back out several minutes later after I've showered and dried off.

I pull out the pin that holds my hair in place and let the tips of my damp shimmering locks fall to tickle my shoulder blades. Then I sweep the hair on my right side over to my left and reset the pin. My right ear and eye are now exposed, while my hair hides the left side of my head, sort of similar to how Alto keeps his hair, only he mops his hair over both of his eyes. I want to seem like a fan without seeming like a copycat, so I only cover one eye.

My head turns quickly around my baby-blue walled room until I see it hanging from the door hook where I set it last night: the dress I'm wearing to JACCT and, subsequently, the Reapings. I slip the white, violet-trimmed sundress with flowers on it over me and slide my feet into the purple sandals by the door. My restless feet shuffle around in circles and I bite my lip frustration, then I remember what I was going to do next! I walk over to my body mirror hanging on the wall and inspect myself. The purple trim of my dress against my lightly tanned skin makes my vision itch slightly. It's perfect! I pucker my supple pink lips and decide against lipstick and make-up. Looks don't grant you favor with the Programmers, but I'm just naturally pretty when I wake up in the morning, so there's really no reason to touch myself up.

"Rhymer! Vibia and Silver are here!" I hear my brother Indigo call downstairs. "Tell them to leave me alone!"

"Tell them yourself!" I fire back. "I'll be down in a second!"

With a little more force than I intend, I throw open my bedroom door, nearly knocking my sister Theta to the floor. "Sorry!" I squeal to her as I sprint past her and my other sister Delphi and slide on my butt down the railing of my house's staircase. Glancing around at the living room as I run, I determine that my parents must be putting in early hours at work before the Reaping at 11. Oi… Always work with them… I screech to a halt at the door and push Indigo out of the way. "Vibia, Silver!"

I love it when Vibia talks, because her accent is very eccentric.

"Rahymah, dahling!" she says giddily. "Tis soe gud t'see yue 'gain!"

"Hey, Rhymer." Silver says with a smile and a wave. "You look great!"

"Indigo wasn't bothering you two, was he?" I ask, glaring at my brother, who throwing his arms in the air in exasperation.

"Ah, noe! He's juss th' cu'est lil' thing!" Vibia says, pinching Indigo's cheek. He pulls away and storms off in a huff. "Yue ready, dahling? JACCT won't wayte fo'eva!"

"I'm _so_ ready!" I cheer. "INDIGO! Make sure that Baron and Cordo are getting ready! And let Atlas outside!"

"Ugh, fine!" I hear my brother's voice call. On that note, I rush out of the house with my two best friends!

~Jet's POV~

I set my hands on my brother's shoulders as we look up at the sign above the giant building built into the far side of the Nut: Johansenn Academy for Career Conditioning and Training, or JACCT, as it's commonly acronymized. My short orange hair waves slightly in the fair breeze that always seems to blow by and around the Nut, and Topaz and Emerald look up at me.

"Well, you two, this is it. You're ending your first and last semesters respectively as underclassmen. You excited?"

"Yeah!" Topaz says with a toothy grin. Emerald just nods. He's never been much of a talker.

"And my last chance at being selected…" I realize. I'm eighteen now. Next year, I'm not going to be allowed back at JACCT, since it's an academy geared specifically for training the youth of the District for the Games, which is only for ages 12-18. I've been working as hard as I can to impress the Programmers this year: Alto Herriot and Aquos Johansenn, but I have to wonder if it's enough… The other eighteen-year-olds have been fighting just as hard.

"Jet…" Emerald starts. I look down at him and his dark green eyes are solemn, yet there's a smile on his face. "It's alright if you don't get picked. We'll find a way to get by."

My siblings and I basically lives here at the Johansenn Academy. My father was killed by Peacekeepers after speaking out publicly against the Capitol, and my mother remarried, partly because she didn't want to be bankrupt anymore, but mostly because she didn't want her last name to be 'Hapler' anymore… So she disowned me, my two brothers, and my sister, Diamond, and left us to become the only homeless children in District Two.

Since attendance at JACCT is mandatory, that's where we've been living for the most part. They let us sleep in the training quarters mostly. I don't know if they'll let me stay there after this year…

"Yeah, you're right, Emerald." I say, rubbing his head. "C'mon. Let's go."

I take the both of their hands and start to lead them into the building.

~Rhymer's POV~

"Heads forward, feet together, chests out, you skinny little washboards!"

This is so dumb, to me, but I sigh and obey anyway… Our two female Programmers and two of JACCT's four founders, Pyra and Terra Johansenn, have politely asked all of us to strip down and line up for something. To my left and right, my fellow female classmates shift uncomfortably as they try not to look at each other's bodies. Terra, Pyra's younger, edgier, and brunette sister, is looking over us and shaking her head in disappointment, while Pyra is up, close, and personal, standing in front of us and scanning us indiscriminately with her red-contacted sharp eyes.

"What is all this about…?" I sigh to Pyra when she approaches me.

"Physical inspection, Whiner. Arms out." she grunts curtly to me.

"It's Rhymer… Why do we have to be naked for physical inspections when our uniforms are skintight?" I demand as I extend my arms.

"Because, _Whiner_," she emphasizes as she squeezes my biceps testingly. "It's protocol; get over it."

"If it's protocol, why don't _you_ take off _your_ clothes and have _us_ inspect _your_ body and let _you_ see how it feels?" I say, my eyebrows rising higher with each emphasis.

"What kind of question is that? I'm a Programmer and a founder of this Academy. I'm already in top physical condition." she scoffs at me, giving me a testing punch in the stomach to test my ab strength. The stronger my abs, the less I arch my spine forward when I'm punched. I barely arch.

"Oh, yeah? Prove it." I challenge with a smile.

"I'm bigger than you, Wellwood. I've got nothing to prove to you." she says, smiling back.

I roll my eyes as Pyra steps to the side and starts to inspect Vibia beside me. My teeth start to grit immediately and I fidget in place. The fact that they're forcing me to stand still in a uniform position when they _know_ I have ADHD is just cruel and unfair. I'm about to scream bloody murder when I hear the chime of the doors opening. I turn my head and freeze up immediately. Alto Herriot himself is speaking to the male Academy students as they mistakenly enter the training area for _their_ physical inspections. He's walking backwards, so he doesn't see us initially, and neither to do the other students. One orange-haired eighteen-year-old does look away from Alto for a second and notices the line of naked teenage girls standing along the wall.

"Whoa!" he yells in pleasant surprise, prompting the other boys, and Alto, to look in our direction as well… And then the shrieking begins. Almost every girl in line falls out of order and starts yelling hysterically for the boys to get out and trying to cover themselves. Except for me. My jaw drops slightly as I stare at Alto, and after a moment, his eyes meet mine and he starts to stare, too… Then images of last night's dream start to flash through my mind. Impossibly similar to what's happening right now. Everything around us seems to melt and go silent… His eyes take me in… My face starts to get hot… Then, all of a sudden, Pyra's dreadfully resonant voice snaps me out of it, easily rising above every other voice in the room.

"_ALTO! _Get them _OUT_ of here! You're not due for another ten minutes! _OUT!_"

His eyes blink rapidly as his does a double take, looking from Pyra to me, then back to Pyra. He turns and quickly begins to usher his happy students back from where they came. When they're all gone, Terra blows a loud, shrill whistle, silencing all of us instantly.

"You all should be _ashamed_ of yourselves, acting like a bunch of stupid little girls like that! Ooh, a few boys saw you in your birthday suits! How _frightening_!"

Her caustic sarcasm puts everyone in line to shame. What she says next surprises me.

"And what sickens me even more is that _Wellwood_ of all people handled that little mishap with the most maturity. She didn't move, she didn't scream, she didn't act like a fucking _baby_! How must that feel, to be less mature, at _any_ point, than _Rhymer Wellwood_? Ugh, I can't look at any of you… Go and get dressed! Inspection over!"

Terra's whistle blares again, and all of us start scampering for the locker room to put on our Reaping outfits again. Pyra's never complimented me before, and technically, she still hasn't. But to hear her compare others to me in a degrading manner is the nicest thing she's ever said to other people about me! A small smile slips onto my face.

~Jet's POV~

Whoa… That was… Whoa… I wipe a trail of blood from my nose as Alto, who looks pissed off, starts to herd us back around the Nut to JACCT's armory and storage, where I see Aquos waiting for us with a smirk on his face.

"You bastard! You told me that Pyra said they were done!" Alto growls, punching Aquos on the shoulder.

The founder's smooth voice chuckles and he crosses his sleek, muscular arms over his chest. The platinum blonde on his aged chin twitch as a playful smile grows on his face. "Oopsie. Guess I had the times mixed up. No hard feelings, right? I'm sure you and your students got a nice eyeful?"

"And an earful…" Alto sighs. "What was that for anyway?"

"Think of it as a gift for you and your students, to celebrate the end of your first year as Programmer." Aquos said before turning and walking into the armory. "I'm also letting you mentor the two tributes this year when you and Pyra pick them. You're welcome!"

Alto sighs, turning to us. "Alright, upperclassmen, enough dallying. You can occupy yourselves until Pyra gives the word that we can come in by giving me a lap around the Nut! Go!"

He blows a whistle, and we're off immediately. With these images floating through my brain, maybe sweat is what I really need…

~Rhymer's POV~

After we're all dressed and nice and ashamed of ourselves, Pyra has us run laps around the Nut while the boys go through their physical inspection. I'm ahead of the pack, as always. Running is my favorite activity at JACCT. I don't get tired half as easily as some of the other girls. Even the 18-year-olds have a hard time keeping up with me. The only time they beat me is when I let them, and the only time I let them is when I slow down to talk to Silver or Vibia.

After a couple of laps, I'm the first to stop in front of Pyra, sweating but barely panting.

"Feh… Not horrible, Wellwood, but you could do a lot better, I can tell. Fall in line; it's 10:40. We're heading for the Square."

Ugh, I'm going to have to stand still for however long it takes for the rest of those slowpokes to catch up and file in behind me… After about ten minutes, by the time Pyra and Terra are giving the orders to start running in our line toward the Square, I feel like exploding. Terra, Pyra's younger sister and the champion whistle-blower of JACCT, is doing her thing while we're running briskly in as straight a line as we can. Within about a minute, we're in formation alongside the male class, and approaching the Square. Those older than eighteen and younger than 12 have already arrived, and it looks like we've just missed the recitation of the Treaty of Treason, because as we all file into our corrals, Mayor Baine is leaving the stage, and our escort, Laylark, has taken his place.

"And here come the youth of District Two, ladies and gentlemen!" she announces. "As you all know, as of the 165th Annual Hunger Games, all young men and women between the ages of twelve and eighteen are required to attend the Johansenn Academy for Career Conditioning and Training, and each year, our wonderful Programmers and founders of the Academy pick the tributes that they believe are the most worthy of representing District Two in the Games! And this year, we are celebrating the founders' unanimous decision of hiring the first Programmer that is not a member of the Johansenn family, Alto Herriot, to stand in the stead of Nimbus Johansenn, who has decided to act as the head administrator to our splendid Academy! So, please welcome to the stage our four Programmers and our administrator!"

Ugh, Laylark is way too long-winded… I watch as Pyra and her three siblings, Aquos, Nimbus, and Terra, along with Alto, walk up onto the stage to the loud applause of the crowd. I look up at Alto, and he looks down at me. The scene from earlier today returns to my memory, and I start to blush. I think he can see me, because there's suddenly a spark in his eyes and a smile creeps onto his lips. Just as I smile back, the two oldest Johansenns, Aquos and Pyra, walk up to the mike. Pyra starts.

"Thank you, Laylark. If there's one I love about these Reapings every year, it's hearing you talk." she jokes. Most of the audience laughs, but I roll my eyes. "After much consideration and deliberation, Terra and I have chosen this year's female tribute. The young lady that we've picked was not initially our first choice, but over the course of this year in particular, she has demonstrated a keen sense of inner strength and maturity that far outdoes any of the other students, and it is for that reason that we've chosen Rhymer Wellwood as this year's female tribute."

My heart leaps and my eyes go wide. They picked me, they _picked me_! I shove my way out of the 17's section and run up to the stage as the audience starts to cheer. I take Pyra's place on the right side of the mike as she walks back to her place. Aquos pats me on the shoulder before he starts.

"For the male tribute, it was no easy decision. Many of the 18-year-old candidates were extremely capable, but one in particular stood out to Alto, and that finalized my decision. I've taught this young man since he was twelve, and he's been steadily determined to prove himself. He is the only one of my male students who has never plateaued. Every year, he's kept getting better and better, and Alto, having only seen the result of his long career as a trainee Career here at JACCT, was very impressed, and after taking a second look, so was I, and it is for that reason that we've chosen Jet Hapler as this year's male tribute."

I start to clap with the rest of the audience as Jet makes his way out of the 18's section with a triumphant look on his face, taking Aquos's place beside me on the left side of the mike. I look at him. He's kinda cute, with orange hair, a loose green shirt, black trousers, and boots. He peers over and glances at me, too. We both flash devious smiles at each other, just as Laylark walks between us to give the obligatory phrase that signals the end of the Reaping.

"Happy Hunger Games!" she declares, placing her hands on our shoulders. "And may the odds be _ever_ in your favor!"

~Jet's POV~

I still can't believe my prayers were answered and I got picked, not even after the Peacekeepers escort me and Rhymer inside and into our respective chambers where we await those who would come to say goodbye to us. Emerald, Topaz, and Diamond all come at once.

"Congratulations, Jet!" Diamond says first, hugging me. "I knew you'd get picked! I just knew it! You have to win and come back, Jet! We _need_ you to!"

"I will, Diamond, I promise. But if I don't-"

"Jet, don't talk like that! You _will_!"

"If I don't…" I repeat, firmer. "You're in charge. I'm expecting you to pick up where I left off in taking care of you guys, alright?"

"A-Alright…" Diamond whispers. I can tell she's close to tears now, so I pull her into another hug. "Don't die, Jet. Please…"

"I'll come home, you guys. Don't worry." I promise. Diamond pulls away and Topaz steps forward.

"You're gonna kick butt, for sure, Jet! Cut off that Rhymer chick's head!" he cheers, punching me on the arm. I laugh.

"Nah, she's hot. I'll be her ally for a little while. _Then_ I'll cut off her head." I chuckle, tapping my fist on his head. The last to step forward is Emerald, and his dark green eyes are laced with sadness.

"Here." he says, opening his hand and showing me a bead bracelet with white, green, and yellow beads. "To remind you of what you're fighting for."

I'm stunned… I slowly take the bracelet and Emerald helps me string it around my left wrist. With nothing to say, I just pull Emerald into a tight hug, just as the Peacekeepers come to escort them out.

My fist clenches and my eyes squint. I have to win this. For what's left of my family…

~Rhymer's POV~

As my parents kiss me their goodbyes and their congratulations, I finger the locket in my hand. The pendant inside is actually a small flipbook, which contains a small picture of each member of my family inside. I sigh with a small smile. This is the best token ever! I've already said goodbye to Vibia, Silver, Hammel, and my family. I don't think I'm going to get any more visitors, so I'm surprised when the door opens again. I look up, and my face flushes immediately when Alto Herriot himself walks in.

"A-Alto!" I stammer in surprise. I'm unsure of what to say, so I just say everything. "H-Hi, Alto! I like your eyes! And the way that you keep your hair, it looks so cool and mysterious! I style my hair sort of like that, but not completely, because I don't want to seem like a copycat! I've been your biggest fan since I was twelve, and I was so excited when I found out you got hired to be a Programmer! Y-You saw me naked! _Dammit!_"

I slam my palm into my face. I didn't mean for that last part to slip out. Now we're _both_ embarrassed.

"Yeah…" he starts slowly, scratching the back of his head and looking away for a moment. "I came by because of that. I didn't know that Pyra's inspection wasn't finished and… I shouldn't have stared. I'm not sorry I did, though. You're a very beautiful woman."

My breath catches… I-Is Alto Herriot really flirting with me..? This isn't just another dream, is it..? I pinch myself lightly, and when I see that I'm still awake, I smile shyly up at him. Now I don't even know what to say. "O-Oh, really? T-Thanks…" is all I can manage.

My eyes turn away for just a moment, and when I look up again, he's walked up to stand right in front of me. "You know… I like the way you keep your hair, too." he says, running his hand slowly through my golden locks. I'm… shocked! Did the sight of me naked make him that into me all of a sudden? This is almost a dream come true! Now all I need is the walls to melt…

"Wellwood, Herriot! Come on and let's get to the train! The Capitol isn't waiting forever!" I hear Pyra's voice from outside the door. I stand and stare up at Alto, who takes my hand and starts to lead me to the doors.

"Can we talk more on the train?" he leans down and whispers to me.

"Sure." I whisper back, grinning. Who knew it'd be this easy to get my idol to like me?

**(A/N: And there you have it. I hope you all enjoyed the tributes! Tomorrow, I'll be putting up Tixxie and Trexler's Reapings from D3 at the very least, but if I get my overdrive tank filled enough (you all should know how to fill it up by now, hm? *wink wink, nudge nudge*), then maybe I'll be able to put up Bronwyn and Hunter's Reapings as well!**

**Till next time, Hungry Gamers! Bye bye!)**


	3. So Close: Tixxie and Trexler

**(A/N: Attention, readers! District 3 Reapings are incoming! And it's amazingly revised and better than ever, like all the chapters will be! n_n Read on, readers! Read on!**

**Say hello once again, to Trexler and Tixxie! :D)**

~Trexler's POV~

With a marker in one hand and an ice cream sandwich in the other, my eyes zip back and forth across the wall of my think tank as I fill more of the space with equations, murmuring to myself as I do. "Do you understand now, Delmond?" I murmur through my snack.

"So… Video…game?" he says slowly and testingly. I sigh.

"Yes, Delmond. It's like a board game or an outdoor activity, only you play it on TV." I explain.

"Uh huh… And what does that have to do with what you're writing down now?" he asks.

"Nothing at all! _This_ is a formula for a rate of an ice cream sandwich melting. Rate equals outside temperature times the square root of the temperature of the ice cream sandwich divided by its mass minus 34." I say. "It's quite a simple equation. This experiment didn't take longer than an hour."

"Trexler!" I hear my sister Lethea call from downstairs. "The twins are here! And mom wants to know when you're going to come up for air!"

"I've showered and dressed already! The Reaping's not for another thirty minutes! I'll be down soon!"

"No, we want you down _now_, Trexler! You promised you'd come with us to see Mr. Rhodendron before the Reapings!" I hear Trine's voice call now. "Don't make me send Tixxie up there to get you!"

"Oh, come on! What is Tixxie going to do?" I ask before I can stop myself.

"Trex, that was the worst question I've ever heard you ask." Delmond sighs as I quickly press my weight against the door. The ominous sound of footsteps was followed by the sound of a tiny hand pounding as hard as it can on the door.

"Trexler!" a voice similar to Trine's, but louder and more abrasive, shouts. "Open up right now! I'm warning you!"

"She can't get in." I say with confidence to Delmond. "I have roughly twice her size in mass and weight. There's no way she can-"

I'm interrupted by a sudden jarring of the door. It opens slightly, just enough for Tixxie to jam her shoe into the doorway and slowly force it open.

"What!" I scream, flabbergasted.

"I think force, momentum, and rage beat body mass, Trexler. Get ready to defend yourself." Delmond says as he stands.

"Trexler!" Tixxie growled through gritted teeth as she forced herself inside.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry! I'll come downstairs, just don't - Ow!"

I'm interrupted as Tixxie lifts her tiny foot and kicks my in that soft tendon between my knee and lower right leg, right where she knows I'm weakest. I collapse to the ground immediately, clutching my leg and sucking in slowly through my teeth.

"You should know better than to doubt me by now, Trexler! I thought you were smarter than that!" she scolded, suddenly turning on Delmond. "Both of you! Downstairs now, so we can go see the old man! He isn't going to live forever!"

And with a huff, Tixxie turns her head, throwing her long and messy blonde hair around as she stomped back out.

"Ow…" I groan as Delmond helps me to my feet and pats me on the back as he acts as my crutch and assists me in hobbling out of my bedroom. "S-She made me… d-drop my ice cream…"

"You'll live, Trexler." Delmond sighs as he closes the door behind us.

~Tixxie's POV~

"Alright, um… dodecahedron." Trine says, snapping her fingers.

"Noun. Greek. A three-dimensional geometric figure formed of twelve equal pentagonal faces meeting in threes at twenty vertices. D-O-D-E-C-A-H-E-D-R-O-N. Come on, Trine. Give me a challenge." I sigh.

My twin sister, Trine, is quizzing me on the vocabulary quiz in Language Arts that's been postponed until tomorrow, since the Reaping prevents them from occurring today. Since I'm a sophomore taking the advanced placement course with seniors, these words are supposed to be super hard, but they're super-easy so far…

We, along with Trexler and Delmond, are approaching the Justice Building. Mr. Rhodendron's little shack is not that far now. Delmond and Trexler are having their own dumb conversation, but Trine and I are actually doing something productive.

"Um… Okay, onomatopoeia."

"Noun. Greek. The formation or use of words that imitate the sound associated with something. O-N-O-M-A-T-O-P-O-E-I-A." I say with a roll of my eyes. Trine smiles.

"Okay, last one. ."

"That's the extra-credit word! I don't care about extra-credit!" I huff with a scowl.

"Oh, come on, you baby!" Trine whines.

"Ugh, fine! Noun. Greek and Latin. A factitious disease of the lungs, allegedly caused by inhaling microscopic silicate particles originating from eruption of a volcano. I'm not spelling it."

"Spell it!"

"No!"

Trine smiles devilishly. "Admit it, Tixxie. You can't do it."

Trine knows just how to infuriate me… "Fine! P-N-E-U-M-O-N-O-U-L-T-R-A-M-I-C-R-O-S-C-O-P-I-C-S-I-L-I-C-O-V-O-L-C-A-N-O-K-O-N-O-S-I-S! There! Happy?"

"So close…" Trine sighs. "You missed the second-to-last 'I'."

I grumble to myself and cross my arms. "No more studying. That's more than enough."

Trine shrugs and closes my workbook. She reaches into her pocket, then frowns. "Did I drop my house key?"

My eyebrow rises. I turn around and spot a glimmer on the ground , back toward the Justice Building. "Yeah, I'll get it." I say, turning and running to go pick it up.

As I bend over to collect the shimmering copper key from the ground, I freeze when I hear a mechanical buzzing noise. I shrug and pick up the key, and as I do, I watch as a small Capitol cargo hovercraft makes a shaky descent right above my head and crash loudly and harshly onto the roof of the Justice Building.

"What the f-"

_BOOM!_ Before I can swear in confusion and surprise, the hovercraft explodes and its blunt invisible force and blistering heat sends my head spinning and my body flying into the air. I black out before I even hit the ground.

~Trexler's POV~

My heart leaps into my throat and swells dramatically as the sound of the crash rocks my eardrums. Just as I turn and see what happened, a powerful and hot explosion blows me backwards and sends me tumbling. I stumble back to my feet just in time to see a flying ball of burning metal slag fly through the air and hit Mr. Rhodendron's house. Fire catches, but the house collapses and snuffs out the blaze before it can get bad. Poor Mr. Rhodendron… And if the crash had happened only a minute later, p-poor us…

The sound of a body hitting the ground draws my attention. I turn and see Tixxie roll to a stop a little ways nearby, and she isn't moving. My blood runs cold. I reach into my pocket and take out my therapeutic breathing regulator, what others call a perforated paper bag, and start to breathe slowly and heavily.

"Tixxie!" Trine shrieks, running up and kneeling before her. "S-She isn't breathing! Do either of you know CPR?"

"Erm… I do." I say, taking the bag away. It's true, I _know_ it, but I've never actually done it. No one's ever been not breathing around me lately…

"Trexler, you have to revive her! Hurry!" Trine is screaming at me. I waste no time in kneeling beside Tixxie as well.

"O-Okay… Tilt the head, pinch the nose and… Oh, am I going to have to kiss her?"

"_Trexler!_"

"Fine, fine!" I grumble, taking a deep breath and ducking my head down, cupping my lips firmly upon hers and blowing.

"Her chest is expanding! Is that good?" Trine gasps. I pull away to answer 'not necessarily' and begin to explain why, but she shrieks again before I can.

"Her chest collapsed again! Trexler, do something!"

I groan inwardly and go through the motions again. Tilt the head, pinch the nose… My lips meet hers again and I blow gently. I lift my head and put my ear to her mouth to see if she's breathing again…. Nothing. So I try again. As my mouth is pressed to hers, another explosion goes off behind us, and this is enough to shock Tixxie into taking a breath. She sits up suddenly, her eyes wide and her lips still pressed to mine. Both of us stare at each other for a long moment, and it looks like her eyes begin to go half-lidded, but then she suddenly pushes me away and leaps to her feet, shaking her head rapidly.

"B-B-Blagh! Next time, just let me die!" she growls. Gee, you're welcome…

As we all collect ourselves and look at what's happening, I realize with horror that the hovercraft was carrying explosives… The squalid stage that the Peacekeepers had managed to erect in the short time allowed before the Reaping was completely engulfed in flames. Everyone had managed to get off and away from the stage: the Peacekeepers, the two mentors, Corla and Manx… Everyone except our mayor, Baine, and District Three's escort, Alevela Prince. With fire raging on all sides, there was nowhere to go, and within the next few seconds, it happened. The entire structure collapses, and the two of them disappear in the fire…

"We have to get out of here! Now!" Delmond shouts above the din around us. People everywhere are running, screaming, and breaking things… I think he's right.

We gather up and start running as fast as we can away from burning, melting husk of the stone Justice Building, but we didn't get more than twenty yards before things got worse. At the sound of an electric humming, I looked up into the sky, and my heart nearly stopped and melted in my chest. Within seconds, the sky was filled with hovercrafts much larger than the one that got taken down. At least thirty to forty hovercrafts, as far as my eye could see. I watched in horror as some sprayed a thick foamy substance over the fires that had begun to mysteriously rage all over the city, while others fired air-to-ground missiles in some areas, and the resulting explosions were quickly put out by the firefighting hovercrafts.

One loomed ominously above us, but it didn't look armed with firefighting or people-fighting weapons. Something did fall from it, though, but it didn't come into view until it had almost hit the ground: a small metal orb lined with other humming metal bits and doodads. It rolled to a stop right in front of the four of us.

"What is that?" Delmond asks. As if to answer his question, the metal orb suddenly sparks to life, spawning an electrifying field of energy in its vicinity, which sent quick pulses of burning electricity into our bodies and caused us to scream out in torment. Trine and Tixxie were the first two to collapse. I was the third, and Delmond fell last. None of us were dead, and all of us were still semi-conscious, albeit painfully paralyzed. My eyes turned skyward and I saw two Peacekeepers descending to the ground on metal coils coming from the hovercraft, but between them, a person was descending to the ground on a mechanical floating dais. The Peacekeepers landed first, and stood on either side of us with guns pointed, in case we tried to fight back.

The man on the floating platform stopped directly in front of our pained, woozy faces, and as I looked up at his face, I knew we were in _deep_ trouble…

"Hello, children." the calm voice of President Centari greeted from above.

~Tixxie's POV~

I can't prevent the groan from falling out of my mouth as I slowly come to… My brain feels itchy and my body aches like crazy. My arms feel like they're locked in place behind my back…

As I gain more of my consciousness, I realize that's exactly what's going on. My wrists and ankles are tied together, and I'm on my knees, at Phoenix Centari's right side. I look over and see that Trexler is on his left. Behind me, I see my and Trine's aunt and uncle and Trexler's parents, all tied into the same position as we are. Also behind us is the still-burning pile of slag that's left of the Justice Building…

President Centari takes a long time examining the blistering conflagration before his dais turns toward the audience. His face does not look happy in the least, and he looks 100 times more evil in front of flames… A Peacekeeper comes up and hands him a wireless mike, and he clears his throat.

"People of District Three," he starts, raising his hand and gesturing to the flaming carnage behind him. "Is this what you would call 'rebellion'? Mindless acts of terror against your own people?"

Silence, besides the evil crackling of the fire, meets his harsh words. He slowly begins to chuckle. "Your motives notwithstanding, to those who had a hand in this unfortunate event's orchestration, I must say, I am quite impressed." He said as he turns his head to my aunt and uncle and Trexler's parents… What? _They_ had a hand in this? "You've managed not only to detect my hovercrafts through their cloak, but control them remotely, as well. It was a rather flamboyant attempt at canceling your Reaping, but I am here now to squash that attempt personally. _I_ will be District Three's escort up until this year's tributes arrive at the Capitol, by which point a new escort will have been assigned."

Phoenix gestures to me and Trexler. _What?_ _We're_ this year's tributes? Phoenix looks at me and my surprised expression and smiles sympathetically before stepping off of his platform and walking over to me, patting my head with his warm, tingling hand…

"I had originally intended to just kill the orchestrators and commence the Reapings as scheduled, but then I discovered that they were idiotic enough to have had children that were of age to be Reaped. I find this a _much_ more fulfilling punishment than murder. They will be allowed to live, and will be forced to watch their children die, most likely. Tixxie Finnegan? Trexler Dapplewood? Thank your parents and guardians for giving you the splendid honor of participating in this year's Quarter Quell."

I stare in horror at my aunt and uncle, who can't even lift their heads to look me in the face… Trexler's parents are in tears, basically.

"Your tokens, you two, will be what was found in your possession when we collected you. A paper bag for Trexler, and a small key for Tixxie. We took the liberty of stringing it into a necklace for you to wear, sweetie."

My throat tightens. I look down at the key around my neck, then stare out into the despondent audience to find Trine. She's at the front of the crowd, and there are tears falling freely from her eyes… I want to start crying myself…

"Luckily, ladies and gentlemen, the train station was not harmed in the unfortunate events that transpired today. Since I doubt that Tixxie and Trexler have _anything_ to say to their parents at the moment, we shall skip the goodbyes and depart straight to the trains. And look, the automobile is right on schedule. Come along, you two."

The binds around our wrists and ankles are loosened, and two Peacekeepers escort me and Trexler behind President Centari. I stare back once at the District I was being taken away from. I meet Trine's eyes, and I don't see a speck of hope within them…

**(A/N: I am SO sorry about yesterday! :( I was so busyyyyy! But this chapter's here now, and I'll start working on Bronwyn and Hunter immediately! Due credit goes to all who helped shape this story into the wonderfulness that it is.**

**To Moonlight Resonance, you're not exactly right. :3 I had all of my chapters except for Announcing The Quell saved to my computer! How convenient is that, right? :D I'm just going back to every chapter and fine tuning the mistakes and such, to make it better! If I wanted, I could post every chapter again, and leave off where I was before, but I want to send a message, that I can't be disadvantaged! When I'm knocked down, guess what? I'mma get back up and go twice as hard as I did before! n_n**

**Thanks for reading, everyone! Stay tuned for the next chapter! Till next time, bye bye!)**


	4. Good Enough For Me: Bronwyn and Hunter

**(A/N: Welcome back! Told you I'd update again today! n_n Bronwyn and Hunter missed you! Say hello, once again!**

**I was going over this chapter, and this was one of the few in which I saw no real problems. Honestly, I could've added a page or so of goodbyes and called it a day, but you guys deserve my best, so I spent all of yesterday thinking of a way I could make this chapter the best it could be, and then it finally hit me!**

**You're going to either love or hate me for this (or both!), but say hello to Suzanne Collin's own Annie Cresta!****)**

~Annie's POV~

_100 years before…_

I press my palms as tightly as I can against my ears, until I'm certain that my head will burst like a ripe melon if I squeeze any tighter. As hard as I try, the rain against the window is still an army of war drums against my head. Why don't they just kill me already..? …Because they know this tortures me. They don't want me to live out my last hour in silence and comfort. If there is a heaven, they want me to get as close to hell as I can before I go…

I've thrown up twice, so far. Had three or four giggle fits that I couldn't control. I can't tell you how many times I squeezed my eyes shut and reached my hand out, hoping Finnick, or at least his ghost, invisible spirit, or even his shadow, would take mine and just whisk me away with him, or at least offer comfort. The only thing that's worked to keep me bound to reality is something that Katniss taught me.

My name is Anna Beth Alaria Cresta. Everyone calls me Annie. I'm pretty sure I'm twenty-two years old, but I don't know anymore, honestly. My home is District Four. Six years ago, I was in the Hunger Games and barely managed to win. I got taken by the Capitol and was beaten for information that I didn't have. Katniss's cousin saved me. I married Finnick Odair. I'm carrying his baby. He died in the Capitol. I broke all the plates when I got the news. I'm pretty sure they let me. The rebellion failed. Again. District Thirteen was taken under siege. I was taken back to District Four. I'm a pregnant woman awaiting her execution…

Alright, now that I'm nice and sure of my life again, I look around to get another hold of my surroundings. I recognize this room, I realize… This is the room where the female District Four tributes are taken to say their goodbyes to their families. I'm sure that Snow thinks this is _so_ fitting… I continue to hold my hands against my ears as I uncurl from my ball in the corner and start to stand up. It smells like seaweed and tears in here.

My legs ache like crazy from being so tightly curled into the fetal position, so I try and walk off the soreness, my hands still clamped to my head. I've completed about 36 laps around the room when the door opens. I don't notice at first, since my ears are so stuffed with my palms, but eventually, I notice that something is different about the room, so I look and see three people at the door. Two Peacekeepers are standing on either side of a woman who I can just tell is really, really old, even though plastic surgery and bodily alterations make her look like she's in her mid-thirties. I feel like I recognize her, and it's not until she steps inside and speaks to me that it hits me.

"Hello, Annie." says Venus, the head stylist for the female District Four tributes at the time of my Games. She retired after my Games, so she must've been spared from the purge of stylists and prep teams at the Third Quarter Quell. I guess she was rehired for this special occasion.

I'm so happy to see a face other than my own twisted, horrifying visage in the reflection on the clean, polished floor that I fall into another one of my giggle fits. I try to contain myself, and Venus can tell that I'm pretty messed up. She walks forward and runs her hand soothingly through my ratty dark brunette hair, and this seems to calm me down, enough so I can open my mouth and say something that's not incoherent.

"H-Hi, Venus." I manage. My neck tics slightly.

"I suppose you must be wondering why I'm here." she starts, her veiny, sharp-nailed fingers acting as the comb that straightens out my messy hair. I nod slowly, trying hard to keep my neck from twitching.

"To say goodbye, Annie. You were my last and my favorite tribute to style. I'm going to miss you. Take one last look around for me."

A little confused, I did what I was told, taking in the room one more time. The room where I said goodbye to my friends and family the first time, and where I'm saying goodbye to my life now… After I examine the beautiful chamber, I turn back to Venus, who's holding a long black strip of cloth.

"Hold still, Annie." she says, placing the fabric over my eyes and tying it in place. It's a blindfold.

Moments later, I can feel the strong hands of the Peacekeepers take both of my arms and start leading me somewhere. I don't even care where. I'm far too distracted by the images dancing in front of my vision. I see Katniss, stubborn and unlikeable as she was, and a smile comes onto my face. As I hear doors open and am led outside to become immediately soaked in rain, I see Mags. Old, kind, toothless Mags, who gave her life and volunteered to protect me from the Games.

As I come to a stop on a wooden platform and am pushed down to my knees, bent forward so my throat rested on a smooth semi-circular wooden groove, I see my everything. My idol, my mentor, my friend, my boyfriend, my husband, and my lover. I see Finnick's smiling face. I smell the obnoxious Capitol products in his hair. I hear his beautiful laugh, smooth and clear like spring water. I taste the salty air that I always used to taste when he would take me on trips in his fancy dinghy. I feel his lips pressed against mine as we sealed our marriage with a kiss…

And as the sound of rope rubbing quickly against wood is followed quickly by the feeling of something sharp and heavy slicing through my neck and decapitating me, I see into the future. An alternate future. I see a tall young man with my dark green eyes and Finnick's beautiful tan skin… I see our son… And I feel pride. Pointless, stupid pride in what could have been. And that's good enough for me.

~Hunter's POV~

_100 years later..._

*BOOM!*

A crack of lightning illuminates the darkened sky of District Four. Rain. Lightning. Darkness. On this day, of all days. I cross my arms and exhale heavily, watching the sheets of sour fallout as they blanketed the already-sad District with more reason to be depressed.

It all went to hell for District Four many years ago, not long after the Second Dark Days. I fondly remember reading about it. After the coup against the heart of the Capitol failed, Peacekeepers took swift and immediate action against every District who had a hand in the rebellion. A pregnant Annie Cresta, who was the other face of hope and dissention for District Four, was escorted back to her subdued District and publicly executed in front of the entire population.

The moment her head was separated from her body, hope was separated from our hearts. From the start of the 78th Hunger Games and onward, there were no more tributes willing to volunteer… The Career Program disintegrated, and District Four fell from the Capitol's graces. Today, the sky reflected the general mood of the District for the past 100 years.

I can't even go out to fish one last time before the Reaping because of this damn rain. With a disdainful sneer, I turn away from the window of our small shack, looking at my father try and fix the small television in the corner by banging on it weakly.

"Dad, give up already. Haven't you heard? District Five is having major power difficulties. It's been this way since the Reading of the Card. No good power right now; we're on reserve."

"Feh…" my dad grumbles, standing and going back to his chair. He hasn't been as strong since he was diagnosed with muscular cancer in his abdominals. Since his core is weak, the rest of his body, in turn, is weak as well. "Get going, kid, the Reaping's in ten minutes."

"You're coming with me." I assert. "They'll kill you if you don't."

"Hunter, look at me. Do I look like a man who has a lot to live for anymore?"

I don't want to think that he had a point, but it's hard not to. 8 years ago, my wealthy mother divorced him and left him and me poor as dirt again, except for a little pity cash she sent to get me into school... I don't even know where she moved to, so I can't visit her to yell in her face. It's just me and him, and he's not very good company. On the other hand, neither am I. And now with this cancer… It's not looking good for him.

"Go, I said." he growls at me. "If I feel like it, I'll catch up."

I shrug and look down at what I'm wearing: shorts and white T-shirt. That'll have to do. I can't see the skinned-over gash on my thigh, so that's a plus. I wave to my dad as I leave, and he doesn't respond.

Walking in the rain is not as refreshing as storybooks would like you to imagine. My shaggy mane is sopping almost instantly, and I can feel the rest of my clothes starting to weigh me down.

"Hi, Hunter." I hear a voice nearby call out to me. I turn my head to the right as I walk and see a girl blushing and waving shyly at me from her window. Her skin was gently tanned, and her hair was so deep blonde, it could be confused for brunette at first glance. Her eyes were as green as the moss on the roof of my shack, and her lips were full and healthy, in a way that I can only define as 'kissable'. I've never kissed her, but I've seen this girl before, one of the shier ones who admire me from afar, as opposed to the enthusiastic, bikini-clad chicks who are always in my face… Interestingly enough, I remember the name of every girl I've talked to who I've ever seen in a swimsuit, but I can't recall seeing _her _in a swimsuit, and coincidentally, I can't remember her name, so I just give her a curt nod and continue on my way, like I do with all the girls who call out to me.

~Bronwyn's POV~

My chest warms every time I see him. Hunter Riverson is just so cool! His chestnut hair is so sexy, even when it's wet, and those eyes look right into my soul… I wonder if he can tell that I esteem him a human wonder; I'm so shy sometimes… Especially when it comes to boys, dark mysterious boys like Hunter... I sigh as he nods his acknowledgement to me and close my window again as he passes, shaking the salty dew out of my bronze hair.

Sigh… Even in such listless, languid weather, I can still find something to take pleasure in. I turn to my mirror to make one last inspection on my outfit. Had the weather been more favorable, I would've worn the pretty little sundress my mom bought me last week, but I don't want to mess it up… Instead, I put on an old pair of jeans and a lime green tube top. I smile, thinking that I look pretty good, then start downstairs.

"Mom, Dad!" I call as I descend. "I'm ready!"

I reach the bottom of the steps to see my mom digging umbrellas out of our hall closet and my dad sitting on the couch in the family room and looking my outfit over. He doesn't look like he approves, but he's not censuring me, either.

I react quickly as my mom tosses me an umbrella. I'm about to unstrap the tie around it, but my dad clears his throat. I look at him and he's holding his hand out to his right. I nod, realizing what he means, and turn the umbrella in my hand so that the nose faces him, then hurls it like a spear straight at his hand. He catches it easily and smiles. "Good girl. You _are_ ready."

"Ugh! Atticus, what did I tell you and Bronwyn about throwing things in the house?" my mom sighs crossly, turning to us. Her belly is visibly swollen with life.

"Relax, River. Just some last-minute preparation, in case she gets Reaped." my dad chuckled, tossing the umbrella back to me.

"Bronwyn is _not_ getting Reaped. Her name is only in the Reaping Ball four times this year." my mother asserts. There's a four in… in… T-There's not a big chance she's getting Reaped!"

"A chance is a chance. You know I'm not one to take chances."

"Sigh… Let's just go. The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back so I can start planning my baby's birthday."

"Mom…" I groan, raising my umbrella as we all file out the door, locking it behind us. Wood looks evil when it's wet, so our entire neighborhood looks like a ghost's playground as we step out in the downpour. Luckily, the Justice Building is only a block away; I couldn't imagine walking as far as Hunter has to walk in order to get here, at least not in this weather…

~Hunter's POV~

My lip curls in disgust as I look onto the scene in front of the Justice Building. Mayor Oswald, the Peacekeepers, and out District escort, Genevieve Bailiwick, are nice, dry, and covered by a giant tarp, while the tribute candidates are forced to stand wet and shivering in this cloudburst. As I look around at the other 17-year-olds, I can feel the mix of fear, disdain, and jealousy in their stares. They're not _all_ staring at me; that'd be weird. But I can definitely feel a few, and I honestly couldn't care less. People confuse my lone wolf attitude with arrogance, when that's not the case. It's not that I feel better than anybody else; I just don't _like_ anybody else. No friends, barely any family, and that's just fine with me. Can't trust a soul around here nowadays anyway…

I growl to myself as our idiot of an escort taps the wireless mike to see if it's on, when the power light is clearly green. I can see it from here, and I'm near the back of the pack.

"Hello? Hello! Welcome, little ones, to the Reaping of the 7th Quarter Quell!" she yells out in her parrot-like drawl. "As you all know, I am your escort, Genevieve, and it is so nice to see all of you again! Unfortunately, I cannot show you our annual promo on account of the technical difficulties occurring in Districts Three and Five, not to mention this deluge, so I'll just skip right on to the Reapings! Ladies first!"

Genevieve wobbles on her skyscraper heels toward the clear orb filled with pink cards. She carefully picks one out and reads it slowly.

"Bronwyn Lockhart! Is there a Bronwyn Lockhart in the crowd?"

_That's_ her name… That's the name of that girl who waved to me on my way here. I look out to see that girl jogging quickly to the stage from the fifteen-year-old section to get out of the rain. There's sorrow on her face when I spot her running, but by the time she's standing on the stage, I can see a fire in her eyes. Determination. I can also see her idly stroking a scar on her arm. A coping method, perhaps?

"Are there any volunteers?" Genevieve asked. Silence meets her ears, and I almost chuckle. This District used to have so much pride, and look what it's been reduced to: a quivering bunch of salt-soaked wimps who fear the Games as much as everybody else now.

The escort totters to the boys' Ball, and picks out a card. "Mr. Hunter Riverson? Hunter Riverson, are you there?"

I can see Bronwyn visibly inhale as I step out of the crowd. There are a couple of well-meaning cheers coming from the 16, 17, and 18-year-old girls' corrals, and I catch a couple of sneers from some of the boys as I lumber up to the stage to stand beside the girl, who is a little more than a full head shorter than I am, I discover. I've actually never been this close to her.

"Any volunteers?" Genevieve asks. Of course there aren't. "Well, in that case, I present to you your Quell Tributes for the 175th Annual Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever_ in their favor!"

I reach out to shake her hand, and I can see the blush starting to cloud on her cheeks. Oh, brother… This ought to be interesting…

~Bronwyn's POV~

I stare out of the large window behind me, out at how dreary my little District has become… The rain against the large window obscures most of the District, but I'm not that happy with what I_ can_ see… Citizens with umbrellas walking aimlessly trying to find something to do other than go home. Citizens without umbrellas running agitatedly trying to get home as fast as they can and _get_ an umbrella so they can do something other than stay home… It's so depressing.

I turn my head to the door as I hear it open and gasp for air as my mother wraps her arms around me like some sort of snake and begins to squeeze the life out of me.

"Oh, Bronwyn, oh, Bronwyn! Why? Why? Why?" she screaming and crying at the same time. My glazing eyes look to my father for help, and he, with some effort, pulls my mom away from me.

"Listen, Bronwyn. I'm as upset as your mother is that you were Reaped… But we both know that you can win this. You're probably _the_ most prepared girl here in District Four. We're lucky to have your as our tribute. Come back, alright?"

"Alright, Dad." I say with a nod, trying not to make my voice shake. He places a small coin in my hand. I look at it and see that it's the special coin that Dad gave me, with my name engraved into it. I clutch it tightly in my hand. "T-Thanks so much…"

It's my dad's turn to give me a hug now, and afterwards, they leave, just as the Peacekeepers were coming to escort them out.

~Hunter's POV~

I rest my face in my palm as the Peacekeepers escort yet another screaming fan girl out of the waiting room… I've gotten six visitors so far, and all of them were crazy 16-to-18-year-olds who wanted to give me an article of their clothing (undergarments) as my token.

I stay in this position, listening thoughtfully to the rain on the window, until I hear the door open for the seventh time. I raise my eyes in agitation, but the person at the door isn't another girl. It's my father, in a wheelchair. A Peacekeeper rolls him in to sit in front of me.

"Can't say I didn't see this coming, son. You did take out a lot of tesserae." he starts with a sigh.

"You worried?" I ask him.

"Nah… You're a strong kid, Hunter. The strongest kid I know. Here."

My dad reaches into his pocket and pulls out something that makes me cringe slightly. A bent and bloody fishhook. After I relax, I glare at it, and him.

"Take pride in it, Hunter. This is the only thing I've ever seen that could wound you in any way." He says, putting it in my hand.

"You kept this?" I inquire, putting it carefully in my pocket so I don't cut or poke myself.

"Yep. It amuses me. Now it's yours to get amusement out of. Take care of it, and you, Hunter."

The Peacekeeper turns my dad around and wheels him out of the room. As the doors close, I stare out one last time at the District I'm leaving behind…

**(A/N: And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed Annie's little moment. It sure made the chapter a hundred times better to me! n_n Tell me what you thought!**

**Next chapter, we're going to say hello once again to Choux and Meaghen, and like Tixxie and Trexler, we're going to see firsthand what happened down there, instead of the aftermath. ;)**

**Till next time, Hungry Games! Bye bye!)**


	5. Amalgamation: Meaghen and Choux

**(A/N: Welcome back! Sorry about yesterday… Mad writer's block… :( I come to you now with *drumroll* District Five! Say hello, once again, to Choux and Meaghen! :D**

**Onward!)**

~Meaghen's POV~

The house is way too quiet in the morning... My mom goes to work super-early, so it's usually just me and my sister Marta when I wake up. It used to be me, Marta, and Minstrel, my twin sister… I shake the sad thoughts out of my head and focus on my current task, descending the steps… Every time the stairs squeak under my slippers, I think that something will jump out at-

"BOO!"

"Gah!" I scream in surprise at my sister, tripping over my feet and tumbling down the steps. Thankfully, there were only three steps left, so I don't hurt myself too bad. "What the heck, Marta? That isn't funny!" I yell at her. She's still laughing.

"Aw, don't be like that, Meaghen! It _was_ funny!" she whines, still smiling.

"Ugh…" I groan as I slowly stand to my feet. "Come on… Let's watch the Reading of the Card. It's about to start."

I drag Marta to the living room and we both sit on the couch just as the Reading begins. It sounds kind of weird. A video game..? I have to wonder what that even means…

"Happy Hunger Games!" the President announces after he reads the card. "And may the odds be ever in yo-"

Suddenly, there's a loud explosion, followed immediately by the shattering of every window in the house. The TV screen cracks and what's on the screen becomes static. Marta shrieks and leaps into my arms, and I have to keep from screaming myself. Suddenly, all the lights in the house begin buzzing and flickering wildly. Outside the destroyed windows, the sound of crackling electricity could be heard.

"Meaghen! What's going on?" Marta yells, then screams again as the bulbs of the lights begin exploding into sparks and glass shrapnel.

"Out of the house! Out!" I yell, picking Marta up and running her as quickly as I dare out the front door as more light bulbs explode. I close the door behind us, and look around. Lights are flickering and exploding in _all_ of the houses around. People are evacuating their houses and running in confusion toward something. When I turn my head in the general direction of the crowd and look up, my heart almost stops…

A Capitol hovercraft, and a rather large one at that, is protruding harshly out of one of District Five's signature Battery Towers, specifically, Radio Tower 2, the second most-powerful, right behind Nuclear Tower 1. The hovercraft is causing a massive break between the Tower and the two smaller Batteries that it's connected to, and it's causing the Tower and the ley wires to catch fire…

The intruding hover craft groans, its weight and position causing it to sink slowly deeper into the Battery Tower. All of a sudden, there's a popping sound, and one of the Tower's pylons explodes like a rocket, sending a supercharged projectile flying off somewhere in the distance. When it lands, there's a momentary bright flash and what sounds like a clap of thunder.

"Meaghen, where's Mommy?" Marta screams in my arms. My blood chills. Out mother works at Radio Tower 2! I clutch my sister in my arms tightly as I run as fast as I can toward the Tower, but not ten seconds after I've started, something else stops me.

Right above my head, another hovercraft had materialized, its nose pointed toward the unstable Battery Tower. I just stand in shock, wondering what's going on and what it's going to do… And a moment later, my question is answered as I watch a launcher descends from the craft's ventral side and launch a sleek, chrome force missile right at the hovercraft that's trapped within the Battery Tower. The missile and the downed hovercraft explode, and the directional force of the blast is enough to cause the Tower to slowly but surely lean to the side and collapse to the ground in an amalgamation of fire, metal, and dust.

~Choux's POV~

"Yeah, that's right, you better run!" I scream after a crying twelve-year-old as she scampers away. I watch as Clattem picks up a small stone and takes aim before lobbing it at the kid. Perfect shot! All five of us laugh as the stone hits the little baby right in the back and sends her rolling in a daze on the ground. Clattem freak me out, but he sure knows how to clock someone!

"That was awesome, Choux! You made that little girl cry like a baby!" I hear Dil drawl behind me, pointing out the blatantly obvious as usual. Ugh, I don't even know why I keep him around… He's as dumb as a boulder, but then again, he's as strong as one, too. I reluctantly pat Dil on the top of the head before turning to Lizanna, who's been poking me in the side for the past thirty seconds.

"Choux, I need my mirror back! Gimme gimme gimme!" she chatters.

"Ugh, here, go fetch." I sneer, taking her small pocket mirror, which I confiscated earlier for shining it in my face, and tossing it a little ways nearby. Like a puppy on command, she immediately runs to grab for it, taking her sweet time in admiring her squishy pig face.

"Guys, do you think I look good? I put lots of make-up on this morning!" she yells as she tries to catch up. We've already started walking toward the Justice Building, following a little behind the large throng of human sheep that are being herded by Peacekeepers in a straight line toward the square. Ugh, honestly… Can _no one_ in this District do anything for themselves? Sometimes, I feel like I'm the only one left with any common sense, which is most likely the case.

Clattem, Dil, and the fifth wheel of this rickety bandwagon, Geoffrey, who we've nicknamed Grapevine because of his snide aptitude for picking up gossip, prove my point by looking to me to see whether or not they should lie to her and say she _does_ look good, or tell her the sad truth.

"Er… yeah, Liz, you look fine." I say with a roll of my eyes, and the rest of them grumble and murmur in assent.

"I do? Hooray!" Liz screams. "Choux, you're always so nice to me… Maybe after the Reaping, we can-"

"No." I say before she can finish her asinine suggestion that we go out. I actually want as little to do with her as possible, but we keep her around to fill the obligatory female spot in our little bunch. That spot originally belonged to my sister, Cleopatra… But I'd rather hang out with Liz than Cleo _any_ day…

The sound of an explosion in the distances causes everyone to stop and turn our heads. Even the Peacekeepers stop their herding to see what's going on. Off into the distance, I see that a hovercraft has somehow bored its way into the side of Radio Tower 2, and the whole thing has caught fire… There's a pretty neat pylon explosion several seconds afterwards, but the majority of the sight is frighteningly morose… It gets even more shocking as I witness another hovercraft materialize and take down the tower with a single force bomb. Damn…

~Meaghen's POV~

I can feel my sister's grip tighten a little, and I can tell that she's just as horrified as I am, if not more… Dust clouds are still rising into the air from the impact of the Battery Tower crashing to the ground. Peacekeepers are holding back the masses while small, looming hovercrafts are fighting the giant electrical blaze with thick synthetic fire-fighting foam. There's too little water left to waste it on fires anymore.

I try my hardest to fight back my tears. Our mother would've certainly been at the Battery Tower by now… I can't even think about losing her… Not after my family has lost so much… 6 years ago, when I was 8, my father was fatally electrocuted in a Battery malfunction… We thought it couldn't get any worse, until my twin sister, Minstrel, was Reaped last year. She made twelfth place…

Marta squeals and starts to jump up and down, pointing at something. I furl my eyebrows and look to where she's pointing. The few evacuees that Peacekeepers could find were being led to safety, and among them was our mother! She sees us, too, and smiles brightly, running over to us and hugging us after the Peacekeepers release her. She smells kind of like toast.

"Thank goodness you two are alright!" she cries. "I was just about to get in the elevator to go to my floor when I heard the explosion and everything started going crazy! You two aren't hurt, are you?"

"No, Mom, we're fine." I sigh in relief. "Are you?"

"Just a little shaken up. What happened to-"

"Attention, citizens of District Five!" blares a Peacekeeper's voice from one of the circling overhead hovercrafts that were fighting the blaze. "The situation is now under control. Please report at once to the Justice Building in a calm and orderly manner for the Reapings."

They're still going to hold the Reapings, even after everything that's just happened… This is insane..! My sister's grip tightens on my hand as the Peacekeepers begin to usher us toward the center of our District, the Justice Building…

~Choux's POV~

As we start to fill the corrals, I'm relieved to be away from my brigade of trolls, but am bummed out again as I realize I'm surrounded by even _more_ idiots. Every kid around me in the male fifteen-year-old corral has faced my ire at least once, and they've all respectably edged away from me, leaving me my own nice little circle. They know their place.

After a lengthy monologue by Roger Kuhn, the mayor of our sad little constituency, our escort Gemina takes the stage. She's only 19, the youngest and most recently appointed escort in the business right now, and her work reflects it. She has to read from cue cards off-stage, and even then, she has to squint behind her oblong purple specs to see the words, forcing her to pause after every third word. It's excruciating…

"Welcome, District… Five! Yes, welcome, District Five, to the Reaping of… the 175th Annual H-Hanger G- Oh! I mean, Hunger Games! Yes, Hunger Games. Due to the recent development of technical difficulties here in your lovely District, we are unable to show you the annual promo."

I let out a cheer, and chuckle to myself as Gemina jumps, looking around to find who did it.

"Anyways…" she murmurs. "We will… instead get right on down to… the… Oh! The girls' Reaping, yes!"

She walks over to the girls' Reaping Ball and picks out a name. It slips out from between her buttery fingers and she has to chase it as it flutters to the ground. Of course, I immediately burst out laughing, because it's funny, and a couple of other people start to laugh, too. I can see the shamed embarrassment on her colorful visage as she picks up the card and reads it out quickly.

"Meaghen Culp."

All laughter stops immediately. I know Meaghen Culp. Skinny little toothpick a year beneath me. She talks _way_ too much for her own good, but there's not a peppy word to come out of her tiny mouth as she waddles up to the stage like the tiny little duck she is. The fear and sorrow is apparent on her face.

"Now for the male tribute!" Gemina says, walking awkwardly over to the Reaping Ball on the other side of the stage. Why don't the idiots who designed the stage layout just put those things beside each other..?

"Elbert Redman!" she calls.

"What? Him?" I call out, flabbergasted. Elbert Redman is a scrawny spectacled little twelve-year-old weakling! There's no way he can win! _I_ have a better chance in the arena than Redman! Before I can think twice, I'm storm up to the stage and pushing Elbert out of the way.

"Forget that! I'm Choux Abaline, the greatest mind in District Five, and I volunteer as tribute! I'm not letting some midget punk embarrass our District!"

I step up beside Meaghen and snort in contempt.

"A-Alright, then…" Gemina stutters, unsure of how to feel, I can tell.

"Erm… Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your Quell Tributes for the 175th Annual Hunger Games, Meaghen Culp and Choux Abaline!"

No one claps for me, but I don't care. I know I can win this. I've got the brains and the wit for it! I've got this! _I've got this!_

~Mayor Kuhn's POV~

I stand aside as I watch the two tributes enter the Justice Building with a few Peacekeepers, and as Gemina is directing anyone who would like to say goodbye to the tributes to come forward, I slip into the Justice Building as well, strolling up the cold stone steps in the rear of the foyer. My teeth grit and my eyebrows furl in confusion as I make the rather lengthy walk to my office… Why weren't the Reapings cancelled? Sure they can't air the Hunger Games now that Radio Tower 2 is down… And if they can't show us the Hunger Games, then what's the point of hosting them? This isn't how it was supposed to work…

I breathe out a sigh as I enter my office. Somehow, I'm going to have to contact them… If destroying radio frequencies won't do the trick, then we're going to have to shut off the lights entirely…

"Hello, Mayor Kuhn." comes a sharp woman's voice. The office doors close behind me, and the chair turns around to reveal who's sitting in it. My breath catches… Sitting in my seat is Dolla Centari, the First Lady…

"Mrs. Centari, i-it's an honor…" I mutter, slightly surprised. "To what do I owe such an honor?"

"No need for the formalities, Roger. Sit. Have a drink. I warmed you a cup of coffee." she chuckles, pushing a mug to the edge of the desk. I slowly walk over and take a seat in the chair in front of my desk, grasping the familiar mug and taking a long sip. As I wait for her to speak, I suddenly feel extremely strange. I try to get up, but then I discover that I can't. I can't move.

Dolla spins around in the chair again to face the window, and I can tell she's staring at the rising pillar of dust and smoke from the remains of Radio Tower 2. "Upsetting…" she sighs. "With Radio Tower 2 collapsed and power fluctuating all over Panem as a result, it would seem that televisions everywhere will be unable to show the Hunger Games… Or at least that was the plan, I presume?"

My heart would race if it could, but if anything it starts slowing down. _She knows!_ But she can't do a thing about it. The Tower's already down. There's no way she can fix this.

"Roger, I have to admit, it was an ingenious plot. Phoenix and I were very, very, _very_ impressed. It was for naught, I'm afraid. There are five Battery Towers that you know about, correct? Nuclear Tower 1, Radio Tower 2, Generator Tower 3, Hydro Tower 4, and Wind Tower 5. Roger, why do you think that we in the Capitol can see and watch things that you in the Districts cannot?"

_No!_ That isn't possible… There's no way…

Dolla turns back around to look at me, her face laced with ominous amusement. "The Capitol has its _own_ independent Radio Tower, Mayor Kuhn. I'm not sure exactly who you're associating with, but all you've really accomplished is stymying your own District. You killed hundreds of your citizens for absolutely no reason, Mayor Kuhn. And as your reward, I brewed you a special-made cup of coffee. A healthy dose of cream, a teaspoon of sugar, and approximately two berries' worth of nightlock squeezings. Your brain should lose function in about twenty seconds. Any last words before then?"

"How..?" I manage to force out with the last of my strength. As my vision clouds, I see her evil smile…

"Oh, Mayor Kuhn… Outside of the standard political ties I've adopted by marrying Phoenix, I have friends in very high and_ very_ low places… Save me a seat in hell, would you?"

Her mordant request is the last thing I hear before everything is gone.

**(A/N: There you have it! So sorry again for not posting yesterday! n_n; I'll get better!**

**Leave a nice review, Hungry Gamers. Kern and Sorrel can't wait to reintroduce themselves to you guys next chapter!**

**Until next time, bye bye!)**


	6. Option Two: Sorrel and Kern

**(A/N: District 6 incoming! brace yourselves! :D)**

~Sorrel's POV~

I close my shaky hands tightly around the cold metal bars of my cell. It doesn't make the shivering stop. If anything, it gets worse, but I need _something_ to hold onto and keep me anchored or else I'll go crazy and do something that'll get me killed… The room is grey, dingy, and in need of a cleaning, but the hallway just outside is cleaned and perfectly polished. It goes to symbolize how they really feel about the prisoners here…

District Six's prison is arguably the worst place in Panem to end up, besides as a tribute in the Hunger Games. There are very few real prisons anymore here in Panem. Many were destroyed during the First Dark Days… Almost all of them, actually. This, the largest and the cruelest, was the last left afterwards, and it's horrid.

My head turns to the sound of screaming, and I see a pretty usual sight here in the female wing of the D6 penitentiary: two or three Peacekeepers abusing a prisoner inside her own cell. The particular method of abuse being inflicted on this particular woman is a bit too graphic to describe safely, but I'll just say that she's going to have to sleep on her side for the next week or so…

I'm under 19, so legally, they can't touch me yet. That doesn't mean I'm not tortured like the rest of them. Just my presence and my restriction behind these bars is tearing me apart, and they know it!

I look over at the cracked mirror hanging nearby, reminding myself just how ragged I've run myself. My super-short wavy brown hair is all a mess… My turquoise eyes are dull and near-lifeless. My catty angled face is sharp and thin… And my body is not as sleek and limber as it was a year ago. I'm thinning harshly… Now I'm only about 110 lbs. The only thing about me that pretty much is the same is the birthmark on my right foot that looks kind of like a mouse if you turn your head, close one eye and stare at it long enough in the right light.

My heart pounds once heavily as I hear the shrill squeak of my cell gate swinging open. I stand up immediately and put my hands behind my back, familiar with the drill. Two Peacekeepers stand on either side of me and grab my arms escorting me out of my cell and down the hall. As soon as I'm outside of the dreaded cell, I can breathe easily, not caring where I'm going. I could be going to be executed for all I care. I'm just glad to be out… They take my into the Justice Building portion of the prison and bring me to the basement level, sitting me down in a dark room, illuminated only by an old lamp hanging from the ceiling.

It's another minute or so before the Head Peacekeeper comes in, holding a bag that I'm sure has the possessions that I _didn't_ steal inside of it. Like my journal and the box that carries my favorite ball of ice. He sits down across from me, and I can tell from the look on his face that what he's going to tell me isn't good…

~Kern's POV~

I furl my eyebrows as the television suddenly cuts to static before President Centari can officially end the announcement. There's a collective feeling of surprise, but it diminishes rather quickly. My dad looks over to the clock on the wall.

"The train should be at the station any minute now, Kern. Better get going." he tells me. "If you come back, I'll have dinner ready."

"If?" I scoff playfully. "Ah, don't sweat it, dad. I'll be back, whether it's for dinner or in Victory."

"If it's the latter…" my mother sighs, walking out of the room for a moment and returning with a sky blue ribbon. "…I want you to take this as your token. It's… the fabric I was using to make Trinia's bow…"

My mother's on the verge of tears again… Trinia's one of my two twin sisters who died a few days after they were born. My mother had a condition that made her womb smaller and less… erm, elastic, than other women. Having me was a struggle in itself, but there was no way that she was going to be able to carry surviving twins. There was a good chance that only one would survive, and one almost did, but she fell into an inexplicable critical condition and died a little more than twenty-four hours after the first.

Doctors couldn't explain it, but one thoughtful nurse offered that the twins had a powerful mental link, like many twins do, and the death of the first was too much for the mind of the second to handle. I think that's baloney, but my parents seem to take comfort in it, so I keep my mouth shut. I accept the ribbon and tie it around my wrist.

"Thanks, Mom. I'll be back." I say with a smile, confidently walking out of the door and make a short jog to the train station.

Upon arrival, I see that kids are already piling into the arriving train, so I make a break for it and leap into the train moments before the engineer's voices announces over the loudspeaker:

"Doors closing. *ding* *dong*"

A cold sigh of relief escapes my lips and I raise my head, looking around at the other people in the train car heading down to the District Square.

"You look nervous, Colonel. You ready for this?" the boy beside me asks, punching my lightly on the arm.

"Yeah, if I get Reaped." I chuckle in reply, though there was a strong chance I was getting Reaped this year… I've taken out plenty of tesserae. My dad makes a fair income working at the Metrorail, the central station for District Six's train routes, but lately, it hasn't been enough lately, and we've been forced to dip into the tesserae and put my name in the pile a little more. I think my name's in that ball 24 times this year…

As the gigantic District Six's dreary cityscape passes by, I feel a chill up my spine. The giant televisions mounted on the tall buildings all around are filled with crackling snow, just like the TV at home... Troubles in District Five, maybe? Eh, whatever.

Because of the massive amount of children in District Six and the effort it would take to get the entire population to the Square, let alone fitting them all, only the candidates for Reaping are absolutely required to be in attendance. Some parents come for moral support, but the majority ships their children off and just hope they'll be on the train back.

I hear a low whoosh, and suddenly we're all surrounded in darkness. Lights above us come on, and I realize that we've begun to enter the station that will drop us off at the Justice Building. As the train starts to come to a stop, I stand, almost bumping my head on the ceiling of the train car. The others in the compartment stood, too.

"Doors opening. *ding* *dong*" says the engineer's voice over the loudspeaker above our heads. As the chime plays the doors slowly slide open to reveal the Justice Building just outside the darkened station. Our train car's appointed Peacekeeper is the first to leave, and she begins to help steer the herd outside and to the large corrals.

Whatever… Even if I am Reaped, I know I've got a good chance at this. I've been training in my free time. I should feel confident… So why don't I?

~Sorrel's POV~

Minutes before the bulk of delivered tribute candidates have made their way by train to the square, I'm already standing in the corral, my usually sparkling eyes cold and dull. I twiddle with a ball of ice in my hand, trying to distract myself from the fact that two minutes ago, I was handed my death sentence…

"_What do you suppose we should do about this, Ms. Migfly? You've got two choices before you."_ I distinctly remember Head Peacekeeper Khole growling to me. _"You can either live out the rest of your life in solitary behind bars, or-"_

"_Please, give me option two! I can't stand another minute in prison! P-Please!"_ I begged, not knowing that option two was being the female tribute for the Quell this year. I stole a lot of money last week to try and support my disintegrating family and got caught and put on trial, being found guilty easily. My own family testified against me to stave off threats from the Peacekeepers…

I wipe my eyes, giving a small sniffle as the tributes start to fill the corrals. I look up to the sky, hoping that I can find comfort in the puffy clouds that are always floating overhead, but my breath catches in my throat. The sky is filling with the tiniest twinkling lights… But they aren't stars, they're fireflies…

I've never liked fireflies in the least bit. I know it seems a little irrational, but I've always had this thought that they got their names because they could burn people with those lights… Even though I know now that this isn't the case, I'm still a bit unnerved by them…

It takes a good ten minutes to get everyone still and quiet for the Reapings to start. Mayor Gordon introduces himself and starts reading the Treaty of Treason. I'm way too distracted to listen to anything that anyone has to say… I peer around at the frightened faces that don't know that for one more year, they're completely safe. The 18-year-olds this year get an exodus into relief and freedom from the nightmare of the Hunger Games, because I've put myself on the chopping block.

As I think about this, I start to feel a little bit better… I'm saving a bunch of lives, I realize.

"Sorrel Migfly!" I hear District Six's escort, Minnie, call out. I'm certain that I'm not the name that's on the card, but that's the name that Minnie's been told to read, I assume.

As I start to stroll up to the stage, I look around at what I'm leaving behind. A treacherous family, an unforgiving District, and a life in the dumps… Looking on the brighter side of things makes me feel a whole lot better than I did a minute ago! I'm even able to manage a smile as Minnie prances over to th boys' Reaping Ball.

"Kern Rankline!" she calls. I watch as a tall strong-looking boy with rugged and shaggy dark brown hair and cold eyes starts up to the stage. I watch his face. He looks scared at first but after a quick exhale, he looks a lot more calm and determined.

Minnie raises our hands into the air and cheers. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present to you, Sorrel Migfly and Kern Rankline, your Quell Tributes for the 175th Annual Hunger Games! May the odds be _ever_ in their favor!"

Even though this is a death sentence, I give a noble smile, looking out at all the relieved souls that aren't aware that I spared them this sentence.

**(A/N: And there's District Six for you guys! I've been feeling more and more drained as of late, from lack of reviews. T-T I only got one review for the last chapter, and it picked me up a little, but I'm still a bit bummed.**

**It's tougher than it seems to rework all of these chapters, and I want to do my best for you guys! :D C'mon, guys, give me your best reviews to pick me up! Thorne and Ellie will be reintroduced next chapter, so if you want them to come with the quickness, GET TO REVIEWIN'! n_n**

**Till next time, Hungry Gamers! Bye bye!)**


	7. Succeed Or Die: Ellie and Thorne

**(A/N: Welcome back! Today's we're going to reintroduce another one of my characters, Thorne Fagan, and EmmaRizcool's character, Ellie Jaxs! Bear with me, guys and gals; we're more than halfway done with these! n_n**

**I'm running out of things to say in these A/N's. Screw it, let's just get to the action!)**

~Ellie's POV~

"Misha, _NO_!" I scream, sitting straight up and reaching my hand out to clench the open air. I start to pant heavily as the feeling of the dream starts to ebb away and reality grips my downtrodden heart. My being is oppressed regularly by the memory of my parents and my best friend Misha… Both of my parents were executed for acts of treason against District Seven. Twelve years ago, I was present with my brother and grandmother as they were whipped with heavy flogs until they stopped screaming. The executioners then snapped my parents' necks to be sure they were dead. Since then, the memory has haunted my life… I've managed to force myself to be an insomniac, because I refused to go to sleep just to hear their scream repeat over and over again in my head like a broken record.

"Ellie? Are you okay, sweetie?" I hear Han, my sister-in-law, coo from behind my bedroom door. My grandmother and I are now living with my brother and his wife, since Grammy isn't fit to care for me anymore, at least not until she recovered from her pneumonia.

"Y-Yeah, Han, I'm fine… Just another bad dream." I sigh. She sticks her head in the doorframe and I'm immediately reminded why my brother Liam fell for her. She looks so fragile with her big blue dinner plate eyes, those thin shiny lips, her soft and bouncy brunette hair, and her fair light skin that feels like silk. Liam has always been a sucker for things that look cute and in need of protection. He guards Han, Grammy, and I with all of his heart, and he's been this way since Mom and Dad were executed.

"Your brother heard your yelling for someone named 'Misha'. You alright?" she asks again, furling her brows in motherly concern.

Misha… I had almost forgotten my dream. Misha was my best friend before she was Reaped last year and killed in the bloodbath. I had just woken up from a dream where I was running after her as she bolted for supplies near the ring of the Cornucopia zone. When the gong sounded, I was suddenly frozen in place and forced to watch as she was tackled by the District Two girl. Now, this giantess of a teenager could've easily snapped Misha's neck and be done with it, but no… She was a calculating sadist, I discovered, as she sat on Misha's stomach and ripped her shirt off of her. Misha screamed, begged, and pleaded for her not to, but no amount of begging would've been enough to stop that evil bitch from tearing Misha's external pacemaker right out of her chest and crushing it, sparking the leads and causing her to convulse in a sickening gambol in which her eyes rolled back and her fingers curled up tightly and painfully. Moments later, she was gone, the first casualty in the 174th Hunger Games…

I don't even realize I'm crying until I feel Han pull my head into her chest and just hug me close.

"It'll be okay." she coos. "It'll all be okay, I promise."

I wish she were right.

~Thorne's POV~

"Trinity! Taylor! Thorne!" I hear my mother call from downstairs. I throw a black shirt on with my black jeans and start downstairs. My younger sister Trinity and my older sister Taylor have already scampered downstairs. As I run my hair through my messy black hair, I momentarily reflect on what it's like to live in a home full of women…

My mom and dad got a divorce over a case of sexual abuse, and my mother got custody of all seven of their children: Taylor, myself, Trinity, Tamara, Trish, Tasha, and Tic. I am the only boy, and it's agonizing… Every single day, it's always talking, talking, and more talking…

Today, however, no one really feels like talking. Five of us are in danger of getting Reaped. Except for Taylor and Tic, too old and too young respectively to get Reaped, we're all at risk…

I take my seat at the breakfast table and am given my serving of leftover pheasant from last night's dinner. I really wish I could tune in on the obligatory table conversation that most definitely centers around the Reaping, but my family is like a hive of bees. They can all buzz and flap at once and still understand every word that each other is saying. It's a girl thing.

I shrug and eat my pheasant, but before I know it, it's getting close to noon. This year, District Seven's Reaping happens latest in the day; last year it was earliest. Once everyone's been dressed and huddled, my mother and grandmother herd us like cat out of the door and toward the Yard, a giant square of woodcutting buildings, stations, and delivery ports. The Yard was built after the Second Dark Days, and District Seven only recently discovered that the Yard can double as a defendable fortress…

Its odd design never made an impression on us until twelve year ago, when a small guerilla force, led by Theodor and Eleanor Jaxs, attempted a quick and quiet coup of the Peacekeeper forces in order to overthrow District Seven's government to kickstart a third Rebellion most likely. As soon as the guerillas came to fight against the defenses of the Yard, defeat was certain. The only members of the force who survived the onslaught were Theodor and Eleanor, who were later publically executed for malicious acts of terror and treason.

In the center of the Yard is the District's Justice building. The stone structure is completely out of place in a forest outcropping made entirely of log houses, but I guess that's the point. They're not like us; they're on a higher level.

By the time the five of us that are on the chopping block make our way into our corral, District Seven's mayor makes the lengthy reading of the Treaty of Treason, then our escort, Yuvhra, struts her vain little self up onto the stage.

"Hello, little people! And littler people!" she jokes, like she does every year. Yuvhra takes pride in the fact that she's currently the tallest employed escort. I don't see why… She doesn't look any better than Cookie, District Thirteen's corpulent tank of an escort. I've seen her in past Reaping recaps. She takes up half the screen.

"Due to the slight technical difficulties that have been experienced in Districts Three and Five, the Capitol is unable to show you our annual three-minute promo, unfortunately. But do not weep, for this only means our Reaping will go that much quicker! Let us go forth, and pick our lucky winner from the ladies' Ball!"

Yuvhra gaits over to the pink-filled Reaping ball and picks out a name.

~Ellie's POV~

"Ellie J- …Ellie Jaxs!"

The shock on Yuvhra's face almost overshadows the darkness on mine as I step out of the 15s' corral and start for the stage.

"Ellie, no!" I hear Liam's voice cry out. I stop and turn, watching as he held Han in his arms and fought to hold back his tears. I could see his bottom lip start to bleed because he was biting it so hard. This is what he was afraid of. This is the one thing that he couldn't protect me from…

I cry out as a Peacekeeer's whip crack against my thigh. "Keep it moving!" he barks at me. I glare staunchly at him and hobble forward toward the stage. When I've made it to my place and stare out at faces I'm sure I'll never see again, I accept it… I accept the fact that my death is a mere week away. All I can hope for is that I go out quickly and painlessly, unlike Misha…

"Thorne Fagan!" Yuvhra calls out, interrupting my depression. I watch as a tall and strong-looking young man steps out of the 18s' corral and start toward the stage. There are varies cries and unintelligible tween-girl chatter from all over the corrals. A girl from the 15s, who I vaguely recognize as one of my classmates, Trish, reaches her hand out to touch Thorne, but pulls away when a Peacekeeper raises his whip at her. My pale skin gets paler when I see him up-close… He must be at least a full foot taller than I am… Rugged lumberjack strength mixed with panty-dropping hotness… He's sure to rake in at least a few sponsors. With him as an ally, I might just make it far enough to be respectable. B-But with him as an opponent…

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce to you your Quell Tributes for the 175th Annual Hunger Games, Ellie Jaxs and Thorne Fagan! May the odds be _ever_ in their favor!"

…I have no chance.

~Thorne's POV~

I lift my head as I hear the door to the visiting room open. My sisters and grandmother just left, so there's only one person left who it could be.

"Oh, hey, Mom." I say as she walks in. Her face is solemn… She must be holding back so many tears… She walks up and hugs me tightly, not surprising. I hug her back and heave a sigh. "I'll be alright, Mom, I promise. "

"I know you will, Thorne. Tic couldn't come in with screaming and crying, so… she wanted me t-to give this to you."

My mom reaches into the bag slung over her shoulder and pulls out a crudely whittled and amateur wooden angel, small enough to fit into the palm of my hand. I close my grip around it carefully, because it looks fragile.

"Mom, I'll come back." I assure her. "I know I will."

And it was true. I was sure I was going to come back to District Seven. The issue was, whether I'd be alive or not when I did…

~Ellie's POV~

I get chills when I enter the stately visiting room. It was a year ago that I was here before, saying goodbye to Misha… Now I'm here again, and people are saying goodbye to _me_ now…

The first one to come in is Han. When she enters, she immediately runs up to wrap her arms around me. I slowly and solemnly hug her back.

"Ellie, you have to come back…" she says to me with a sniffle. "You and Grammy are all Han have to depend on… You're his everything, Ellie, you have to come back."

"I'll come back, Han." I swear with a grim nod. "I'll do whatever it takes. I know how much I mean to you guys. I'm not going to go down like Misha did… I'll fight and I'll win… I-I swear…"

Han and I hug each other some more before Peacekeepers separate us. The next and last to arrive is Liam. He hugs me as tight as Han did. No words have to be spoken. When the Peacekeepers come to take him away, he slips a golden hairband into my hand. I recognize it… My mom used to wear her hair in such a beautiful ponytail all the time…

"Keep safe…" Liam says, his voice cracking as the doors close behind him.

With Grammy so sick, I'm certain she won't come to visit, so I determine that no more will be coming to see me. I turn and notice a pretty plain mirror hanging on the wall. Walking up to it, I examine my face and hair. That freckle-like acne is still pretty prominent. My hair is still as brown as it was yesterday, but my green eyes have grown dark and sullen… I stare down at the bright yellow band in my hand and work my hair up into a neat high tail. When I look at myself again, I see my mother… I touch the reflection, and a pang of ice shoots through my heart…

There's no middle ground. The Hunger Games is win or lose. Kill or be killed… Succeed or die…

**(A/N: Tada! Busy, busy life has kept me so BUSY! u_u; I'll get better, I promise!**

**I'll try my best to get better at updating, but writer's block refuses to let me have a moment's rest! Waah! D:**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter, in which we'll say hello again to Paisley and Franklin! Until then, Hungry Gamers! Bye bye!)**


	8. Not Impossible: Paisley and Franklin

**(A/N: Greetings, salutations, and welcome, Hungry Gamers! Today, on this lovely tiring Saturday, you are going to be regaled by the saddening tale of two siblings whose odds were definitely **_**not**_** in their favor. Paisley and Franklin Brookins, The Siblings, presented to you in large part by TeamAvatar, whose PMs have been the rock by which I stand! n_n**

**Enjoy!)**

~Franklin's POV~

I rest my elbows on the sill and my head in my hands as I stare blankly out at our snowy little District. It's always snowing in District Eight. We see the sun maybe three times a week. The rest, overcast.

Right now, a fairly uncommon phenomenon is falling from the sky: snow that is black instead of white. The soot from all of our factories, especially that of the Web, gets trapped in the clouds sometimes. Usually, it'll disperse when it starts to snow, but occasionally, the soot will mix with the freezing ice and stain the following precipitation.

We in District Eight see black snow as a bad omen. There was black snow on the day the first Dark Days began, on the day that District Eight led the charge with an orchestrated revolt that all but kickstarted the Second Rebellion. It snowed black when my mother, Paisley, and I got the news that Dad died in an incident at the Web. And now it's snowing black again today, on what s sure to be a very bad day. This is the first time I remember when it's snowed black on Reaping Day.

I turn away from the window and see my mother working a sewing machine under lamplight in the corner. This is how she copes with Dad's death: immersing herself in her work. I'm about to go and talk to her, but I hear a door open. I turn to see Scott easing himself out of Paisley's room as he buckled his belt.

"Hey, there, Frankie." he said, giving a solemn smile as he ruffled my already-messy brown hair.

"Hey, Scott." I reply. "Is Paisley alright?"

"She's fine." he says slowly. "I'll see you at the Reaping Mrs. Brookins."

My mom nods without looking up from her embroidery. Scott sets a small amount of money on the coffee table before taking his leave. Some of his Victory Winnings. Scott won his Hunger Games a few years ago, and started dating my sister a week after coming home. He's been leaving us a little of his money ever since he was informed of my father's death.

Paisley comes out of her room a few minutes later, dressed in the same Reaping dress she wears every year, a blue knee dress that has dulled over the years. This is Paisley's last year of eligibility for being Reaped, and it's my first. While fear and anxiety underlies on my face, hers is laced with relief and calm.

"Mom? You ready?" Paisley asks as we walk over to her work corner. She turns to us, her soft brown eyes weary and a little darkened. She manages a small smile, though.

"Yes, dears. Give me just a moment."

My mother turns back to her work for a moment more and finishes stitching the fabrics she had together. "There… I'll finish the rest when we get back."

She stands from her stool and gathers our coats before herding us out into the snow. As always, it smells of burning cloth, despite the very cool weather. Although the smell was less extreme on account of the factories being cut off for the time being to allow for the Reapings to occur.

As my mother, Paisley, and I make the sad trek through the grimy streets, we pass two structures, each of them imposing a different sense of fear into us. The first is the leveled skeletal husk of the old primary textile factory, which was destroyed by the Capitol one hundred years ago at the dawn of the Second Rebellion and left undisturbed as a reminder of our weakness.

The second structure is the _new_ primary textile factory that appears to be a motile monster. Churning gears, oscillating pistons, and gigantic perforated chimneys that spewed rank clouds of industrial fumes. From the right angle, the building looks like a gigantic metal spider. Long threads of fabric are fed into one side, and on the other, impressive workable meshes of fabric are delivered to cars, which deliver the fabrics all over the District. The frightening structure has been dubbed 'The Web', and it's been built as a reminded of the Capitol's strength.

The Web is the only factory still operating at this time; the Web is _always_ operational, no matter what. I can still hear its mechanical grinding and churning as District Eight's children are corralled and the Treaty of Treason is read by our Mayor Fey.

~Paisley's POV~

I stare up into Scott's face as he sits on the stage, and he looks back down on mine. It makes me sad that he has to leave again for a couple of weeks to chaperone the tributes for this Quell… But I take peace in the knowledge that he'll be back. My heart aches and flutters as I look upon him… That we've found love whilst our District is in such a desolate state… It's a miracle in itself.

We lock our eyes to each other all while Mayor Fey is reading the Treaty of Treason, and only divert our stares to watch our escort Anj walk over to the girls' Reaping Ball and read out the name.

"Paisley Brookins!"

"What? _No!_"

Scott is on his feet, enraged. He stares at Anj for a long moment, then at my shocked face. I feel the tears start to fall as I make my way out of the throng of 18-year-olds and start toward the stage. Before I've made it to the stage, Anj, in all her eccentric impatience, has already scampered to the boys' Reaping Ball.

"Franklin Brookins!"

Every drop of blood in my body turns to ice. _What?_ Did… Did my brother just get Reaped? T-This is all but unheard of! Only one other year in Hunger Games history have there been siblings Reaped without there being a volunteer! T-This shouldn't happen!

Franklin comes out from the 12-year-old corral and hugs me tightly, his eyes squeezing shut and holding back tears. I look back to where I saw my mom standing earlier, but she isn't there… I do spot her, though, running away from the District square with her head in her hands. Both of her children just got Reaped… N-Now she has nothing…

Franklin and I ascend the stage together, and Anj places her hands on both of our shoulders. We hug each other as close as we can, and Anj cheers.

"My, how exciting! We haven't had Reaped sibling Tributes in the Hunger Games for 43 years! And we've NEVER had Reaped sibling Tributes in a Quell! You two are making history! Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce your Quell Tributes for the 175th Annual Hunger Games! May the odds be _ever_ in their favor!"

Just the fact that we're up here now is enough proof that the odds aren't in our favor in the least…

~Franklin's POV~

The room is dark and cold, just like my thoughts on what has just happened… This shouldn't be possible, and yet here I am, waiting to say goodbye to people who probably won't show up…

I know my mom must be a wreck right now. The way she just ran straight home, it's… Mmh…

I rest my face in my hands. How is this even going to work out? Only one of us can survive. For sure, Paisley is going to want to make sure that I pull through for as long as I can, but if one of us has to win, I'm honestly hoping it's her… She has a lot more to come back to, what with her and Scott.

No sooner than Scott comes into my thoughts, the door opens. I look up, thinking that by some mental miracle I conjured him somehow, but it's not him. It's a lady. She's kinda short, with brown eyes, long dark hair, and freckles peppering her nose and cheeks. I recognize her as Tawny Burke, the 38-year-old who won her Games 26 years ago, as one of the few twelve-year-old Victors in the entire history of the Games.

"Hello, Franklin." she says to me, to which I nod back. "I'm Tawny. I'm going to be your mentor."

"I figured." I reply softly. Between Scott and Tawny, I'm sure it wasn't a hard decision concerning who would mentor who.

"Normally, we mentors don't commune with the tributes until we're on the train, but Paisley wanted me to give you your token." Tawny said, walking up and handing me a charm necklace with an odd symbol on it. It looks somewhat like an abstract nine, or a comma. The entirety of the tail, and most of the head is white, but in the center of the circular head is a small black dot.

"Paisley said she planned on giving this to you for your birthday, but she decided that now was as good a time as any." Tawny explains. "The charm is extremely archaic. It's said to date back far before what we know as the Old World."

There was a time before then..? I stare at the ageless symbol curiously. "What does it mean?" I ask.

"No one is sure anymore. But if it's survived in the minds of our civilization for this long, it must be pretty powerful. Paisley has the other half. It looks like the opposite of yours. Yours is white with a black dot. Hers is black with a white dot. I think it has something to do with representing balance."

I look down and stare at the charm again. Balance… It starts to make a bit of sense. I smile a little as the charm jingles in my hand. Tawny runs her hand through my hair.

"I know it seems tough, Franklin. But just remember: it's not impossible. I'm proof." she says before standing to walk out. I smile just a little bit brighter. I think I'm really going to like Tawny.

**(A/N: Curse you, writer's block and summer-laziness syndrome! T-T You kept me from giving my readers a chapter in two days! So, so, sorry, guys! I promise, I'LL GET BETTER!**

**Here, there's not a lot of change, once again. This was another one of the many chapters that seemed good enough to leave alone, but I felt that adding goodbyes, especially considering I was too lazy to do so the first time, and also considering I neglected to put in a Token criteria in my last T-Form (why did none of you catch that? T-T), that's part of the reason why doing these is so hard. Thinking hurts sometimes!**

**About Hunter and his fishhook… Yeah, in retrospect that may not have been the absolute best token I could've thought of… I'll make it so that his mentor struck a deal that allowed him to keep it until the day of the actual Games. I know, that's the **_**easy**_** way out, but, meh…**

**Enough of my ramblings! These chapters are seeming to get shorter as I progress… D1 was 10 pages in my Microsoft Word, and D8 is only 4. T-T I'LL GET BETTER!**

**Next is District Nine, with your favorite disabled tributes, Salt and Dawn! n_n Till next time, Hunger Gamers, bye bye!)**


	9. Better Than That: Dawn and Salt

**(A/N: Welcome back to another installment of GA175! H****ere's the updated D9 Reapings with Dawn and Salt. Again, nothing much has changed, except for a few added goodbyes. That's all that really **_**needs**_** to be added, actually, to the last four Reaping chapters. :3 As writer's block comes down harder on me, be prepared for longer intervals between chapters… T-T I'll try to fight it, but it's haaaaaard…**

**Onward!)**

~Salt's POV~

I smile warmly as I lug my wheelbarrow of wheat through the amber waves of grain all around me, making slow and steady progress toward the shore. I'm pretty certain my twin sister Pepper is chattering on about something and a quick glance confirms it.

Pepper is lying in my wheelbarrow on top of the hill of suitable wheat stalks I've managed to collect, mostly by myself. Her sandy blonde hair bounces on her head as she looks around at everything with her big brown and innocent eyes. She looks just like me, I've been told. She's talking way too fast for me to read her lips and determine exactly what she's saying, but I can only assume it's something completely random. I roll my eyes and give a little chuckle that I don't hear myself make.

I've been unable to hear since I was nine years old. Around the time of my birthday, I got a horrible fever and an ear infection. The two conditions amplified each other, and by the time proper medicine could be administered, my inner ear was far too weak to register anything quieter than a cannon. Being deaf has plenty of its negative quirks that I have to deal with. I can never live at the same degree as people who can hear, I realize, when Pepper looks into the sky and begins to speak slowly so I can understand.

"Ooh, listen to the birds, they sound so pretty!" she coos. She looks at me, then suddenly remembers my condition and feels bad. She looks away and mouths "Sorry."

"That is alright, Peeper." I say to her. She looks at me and giggles. I know how to pronounce her name, but I occasionally slip on the 'e' and say 'Peeper' instead of 'Pepper'. This time, though, my slip was intentional, just to make her laugh and let her know it was alright.

As I push my load to the shore of stones that sits on the border of the giant yellow fields, I pass by my house and decide to stop for a moment, telling Pepper to wait there. Our house is kind of worn and rickety, compared to the other wooden houses around our fairly small District, but it's the only home I've known, and I'm more than content with it. I could live a lot worse.

I strolled up to our little house, opening the door to the usual sight. My father is sitting at an old worn grinder in one corner, sharpening my second sickle that I trade off with the first one occasionally, so he can sharpen that one. My mother is rocking back and forth, babbling about the Reapings today, while Muncher nibbles excitedly on one of the legs of her rocking chair. Bash is running away from Jase in terror, screaming "No!" in what appears to be the top of his voice. Jase is screaming back. She's running and talking too fast to discern exactly what she's saying, but I can make out the word 'beetle' as she sprints by, and I'm certain that she's going on about bugs again.

Jugo is with Dad, pointlessly trying to yell over the noise of the grinder about what she learned about hovercraft in school today. I just chuckle. This is one of those perks of being deaf: not being able to hear the painful din of your incredibly loud family.

I decide not to interrupt family time, so I close the door again and head back to my wheelbarrow, where Pepper is still sitting patiently onto of my pile of wheat stalks. As soon as I start pushing the wheelbarrow toward the square to be deposited to the mills for grinding, Pepper begins chattering again. I smile and nod as if I understand, and after a few minutes of pushing, nodding, and a little humming, Pepper starts to help me unload my wheelbarrow into the growing pile of grain already deposited. Pepper slumps to the ground and heaves a heavy sigh, but I just wipe my brow and put my hands on my hips. That's a primary difference between us: I love to work, but she doesn't.

I watch as Pepper flinches slightly. I furl my eyebrows, and I see her mouth, "That's the Reaping siren, Salt."

I swallow and nod. It's a good thing we're already so close to the square, I think. I help Pepper to her feet and start to lug her to the square. As I look around, people are already starting to emerge and converge onto the square, as well.

~Dawn's POV~

I loop the last braid in my fifth plait of hair as I run with Violet toward the District square. It's a little hard to breathe because this outfit restricts me… It used to belong to Violet, my twin sister, but it got too small for her. Putting two and two together, you'd think my parents would see that it would be too small for _me_, too, but they passed it on to me anyway… Sometimes, I think they like Violet a little more than they like me, because Violet wasn't born with acute laryngeal cancer like I was. She didn't need to have half of her larynx removed in order to breathe. She can talk…

"Come on, slowpoke, keep up!" Violet giggles. I smile, too, unable to even voice my amusement with something as small as a laugh. Whenever I try, all I end up doing is breathing, and it's so frustrating sometimes…

I look behind me and see my three younger siblings scampering far behind us, while our parents walk briskly even further behind them. _They're_ the slowpokes…

Of course, Violet and I are the first in the family to reach the square, and we take our places beside each other in the fourteens' corral. I've gotten pretty good at communicating by signing, but I'm a little bummed out, so when Violet asks me about something or waits for my response, I just shrug.

It isn't long before we're all corralled and the Reapings begin. Mayor Greene starts off with the annual recitation of the Treaty of Treason… Ugh, what I'd give to not be able to hear for a few minutes…

~Salt's POV~

I smile. Not being able to listen to the Treaty of Treason is another fair perk of being deaf. Three minutes of watching Mayor Greene's lips move with no sound coming out is not as dull as the same situation _with_ audio. It gives me more time to think and hum to myself.

After our mayor concludes the lengthy narration, our raven-haired escort Nyx takes the stage and says something about technical difficulties in Districts Three and Five. As I think about what this might mean, she walks calmly to the girls' Reaping Ball, plucking out a name. I see her mouth the name 'Violet Kyra'.

As I watch, I'm surprised to see not one, but two girls step out of the 14s' corral. Are they both named Violet Kyra? I soon realize this is not the case, as the second girl to come out steps in front of the first girl and waves her hands in the air, making signs in the air. Not many people can understand sign language; not many people need to. But I know a little. Enough to know that this girl is volunteering for her twin sister's place.

The escort eventually gets the picture and invites her up onto the stage after the other girl gives her sister a hug. Nyx asks the girl's name, and she furls her eyebrows, mouthing the word 'Dawn'. The way she mouths it is strange, though. It's as if she really is mouthing the word and not actually saying it. The escort is confused once more, but the girl that was initially Reaped, whose eyes are filled with tears, speaks up, declaring that "Her name is Dawn!"

I'm terribly confused at the whole situation, and as I'm thinking about this I don't even notice that Nyx walks over to the boys' Reaping Ball and reads the name. When I look up, Nyx is looking around the corrals, mouthing the name again. It looks like she's saying the name 'Sol Ameren', but I don't know if there's anyone in the District with that name, and she's too far away to see what she's saying clearly. As I look around, I notice that people are looking at me.

Ugh, this is another bad quirk about being deaf… When I don't pay attention, I don't know _what's_ going on… When someone pokes my in the arm and I turn to him, I realize with a chill what's going on. The boy beside me mouths, "Salt, you just got Reaped."

I swallow hard, making my way out of the corral and toward the stage. To calm myself, I begin to hum lightly, and I don't stop until I'm right beside Dawn.

I look at Nyx as she mouths the same words she mouths every year, only a little altered: "Ladies and gentlemen, your brave Quell Tributes for the 175th Annual Hunger Games, Dawn Kyra and Salt Auberdeen! And may the odds be _ever_ in their favor!"

I look out into the crowd and I can see Lizellina in the 15s' corral with her head buried in her hands. Sean is in the corral across from hers, his face solemn and depressed. And far in the back, I can just make out the hope draining from the faces of my family members…

Minutes later, I'm sitting in a round ornate room, waiting for my family to come and visit me. They were right outside, so I expected them to have shown up right away. No luck. Five minutes pass, then ten, and they still aren't here. I start to lose hope in myself, as well as my family's arrival, when the door opens. I look up and see my oldest sister Flitter walk into the room.

"Hey, Salt." she says. "Sorry the rest of the family couldn't come… Dad made a scene in front of the Justice Building when they wouldn't let them in right away…"

My heart leaps for a moment. In relief that they didn't abandon me, and in fear of what happened to them. "Are they alright?"

"Thankfully, I was there. Peacekeepers almost shot him, but I diffused the situation. They wouldn't be killed or arrested, but they had to leave immediately. They only let me in because they think I'm your friend. I didn't tell them I'm a part of the family."

"Are you saying 'I'm'? I cannot tell… Stop using contractions." I sigh, to which she rolls her eyes.

"Yes, _I am_ using 'I'm'. Quit doing that." she says, plucking me on the forehead. "Pepper wanted me to give this to you for your token before she left."

Flitter holds out her other hand and shows me an armband woven out of straw. "Pepper made this? But she hates stuff like this."

"I know. I asked her about it and she showed me that she had a similar one. She wears it on her right arm and she wants you to wear this one on your left. It's symbolic of you two and your opposite personalities and features."

I stare at the straw band for a second before slipping it onto my arm and staring at it some more.

"Good luck, Salt." Flitter says as she turns to leave. Do not let you being deaf keep you from winning. You are better than that."

Those are her last words of advice to me before the door closes.

**(A/N: I'm SO sorry I kept you without a chapter in four days! T-T I feel awful! But I had no access to my computer! I realized forgot it after I took off on my birthday cruise three days ago. I started to enjoy myself eventually, but I felt really really bad deep on the inside the whole trip! Now that I'm back, we can continue on with the awesomeness!**

**Kyrain and Aylau's chapter will be coming up next! Stay tuned!)**


	10. Titansteel: Aylau and Kyrain

**(A/N: Welcome back! Did you enjoy the commercials? n_n Today, we jump into District Ten, introducing a bloodthirsty zealot for violence and a sickly unfortunate on the wrong side of the tracks. Hark, thou shalt leapeth forth, nay? In other words, let's jump right in, peoplez! xD)**

~Kyrain's POV~

Bones on a necklace. That's what it sounds like as the metal of the disc weights clatter on the bench press bar. And that's what keeps me going. Sweat is sopping on my rippling muscles as I heft 225 pounds of cold metal over my chest, slowly lower it, then bring it back up again to set it on the weight holster and sit up, looking around at the pathetic faces of the weaklings who stopped to watch in fear and adoration.

Fear. That's the impression I make on everybody who sees me. Ever since I watched my monster of a father get gored by a bull in an enclosure accident. As I watched the life drain out of him through his stomach, as I saw him get exactly what he deserved, I also watched my freedom unfold. I started to laugh as it dawned on me. I was free. Finally free of him! For ten damn years, he's beat me down to my lowest point, but that moment, I watched my shackles come off. Kyrain was unleashed.

I grab a 45-lb disc weight from the rack nearby and hurl it at a mirror on the wall, shattering it into a hundred pieces with a horrible shattering crunch.

"What are you all looking at?" I scream. The effect is immediate. People either flee the gym entirely or quickly go back to doing what they were doing before stopping.

"Bunch of pathetic little monkeys." I grumble, loud enough for those closest to me to hear. I stand, exhaling deeply as I start toward the door. "That glass had better be cleaned up by the time I get back from the Reaping."

I storm out of the doors and look upon my kingdom. I was standing in the more industrial half of District Ten. There _are_ two halves to Ten. The northern half is where the livestock is raised. Made up of farmhouses, barns, and picket fences, primarily. That's where the poor and the strong live. The southern half is industry, where raised livestock is shipped to be killed, cut up, dipped in chemicals, and shipped to the Capitol, where it's mostly eaten. The fat pigs split the leftovers and ship them to the Districts. This is where the rich and the weak cower in fear of me.

They call me a maniac. They think I'm crazy because I'm free, because I can _finally_ be Kyrain, not a tethered little boy who flinches at his father's open hand and faints at his closed fist. I can be what I am; not a maniac, a monarch. I rule this District with a fist of iron flesh.

After making the boring trek from the gym to the outskirts of the city, I walk casually up to the door of the house I'm squatting in. it used to belong to my grandparents on my father's side. They moved in with my mother soon after he died, and after I got kicked out for punching my brother Silin in the face and breaking his nose - he deserved it, I _warned_ him about going into my room - I decided to crash here. The Peacekeepers still think it's vacant, the idiots. It was a wreck when I found it, and it's still a wreck.

I turn the knob and sneer. The doo is locked. In my anger at the gym, I must've forgotten to grab my keys. With a rough grunt, I give the door a solid kick and the lock jumps. Even doors obey my will, or else. I really _am_ a monarch.

I trudge through the dark and empty house toward my room, changing my clothes pretty quickly. Tight white shirt, black trousers, black shoes. Perfect.

I dully note that the lock on the door is broken as I exit and start heading to the Tradeoff, the long dirt road that separates the two halves of District Ten and is the route by which livestock is delivered to and from the rural half and the industrial half. The Tradeoff also houses the District's square and Justice Building. My house sits on a hill, and the sun is behind me, so as I exit, I stare down at the waking District, at the ant people slogging lethargically to the Reaping. My realm. _My_ world.

~Aylau's POV~

The sound of a howling wolf causes me to jump and look fearfully around my living room, even though there is no danger of being attacked by wolves here… The electric fence keeps most of them out, and the ones that _are_ inside are domesticated against attacking people, thankfully. They attack just about anything else, though, which is just as scary…

I heave a sigh, closing my eyes and trying to calm myself again. The stinging jaundice in my sclera makes it hard, but eventually, I'm content again. I open my eyes again just in time to see my mother grit her teeth and plunge a needle into her arm. She starts to spasm for a moment, and I almost scream, but the next moment, she's completely relaxed. She sighs gently, then looks at me. The ease in her eyes turns to shame and she turns away. My mother's addicted to morphling, a problem that started last year, when my brother Baryl was Reaped last year. He managed to make it to the Final 8, and our family poured out our support of him, but he was ultimately killed by a giant centipede mutt, landing in fifth place…

"I'm going to the Reaping. Catch up when you can." I say to my parents before running out the door so they don't see me cry.

I cry like a little kid all the way to the Tradeoff, where I'm forced to dry my eyes. If the bigger, meaner farmer kids see me crying, I'll never hear the end of it. Everyone in the Rurality already makes fun of me because my family's run-down. My mom's morphling… My dad's alcohol… My liver disease… It's too much to bear sometimes, but I get through it, somehow.

By the time I've reached the Tradeoff and have made my place among the twelve-year-olds, who instinctively edge away from my tiny yellowing form, I can see my parents hobbling weakly up to join the parents and older citizens.

Our escort, Phantay, is chattering joyfully into a mic. I've made it habit to tune 90% of her out, so I can't tell you exactly when she said, unfortunately. Something about District Five, I think. I do note that we don't play the annual three-minute video, furling my thinning eyebrows for a moment.

As Phantay reaches into the girls' Reaping Ball, I bite my lip. As she reads the name on the card, the icy hands of death grip my shoulders and starts to pull me toward the stage. They plug my ears so I don't hear the croaked sob of my mother, or the enraged rant of the gargantuan titan who was picked from the boys' Reaping Ball.

They turn me towards him, then turn my head up to look into his animal-like dark brown eyes that squint as the icy hands grip my arm and make me extend my hand to shake his. The cold invisible fingers recede and are replaced with an imploding sensation of fire and shattering glass as he doesn't shake my hand, but rather crush it in his massive vice grip. I scream out to the heavens, and the last thing I see as I collapse to the ground and faint from the pain were three Peacekeepers struggling to tackle him to the ground…

~Kyrain's POV~

The chains rattle in a familiar din as I grit my teeth and try my hardest to break them. Like bones on a necklace… But there's no getting out of this. The sheen of the links tells me that it's made out of Titansteel. The same material they make the weights out of at the gym. Nothing short of a weapons-grade explosion can even _bend_ this kind of metal. Titansteel is supposed to be a revolutionary discovery, almost like the nuclear properties of graphite when District Thirteen discovered it all those years ago. They found it under the ashes of District Twelve's mine. Apparently, the heat of the firebombs torched the mine so thoroughly that the entire buried complex is now a giant Titansteel vein. The Capitol supplies 2% of its haul of ore every quota to each of the Districts. I suppose District Ten used it to make chains and weights… And it looks like it's paying off…

I twist and fight and scream, trying to wear out the chains as much as I can, but eventually I find it's no use. I just sit still and wait for them to come in and kill. And it seems that as soon as it was apparent that was what I was doing, Peacekeepers come in, followed by District Ten's mayor, Odin.

"It was rigged, wasn't it?" I ask him as soon as I can look him clearly in the eye. "Answer me."

"Yes, it was rigged, Kyrain. After you put your sister in the hospital, your mother begged me to make sure you get the hell out of here, and I was ever so happy to oblige."

I growl and struggle against the chains again, but he doesn't look worried. He knows just as well as I do that I can't get out.

"Since, Kyrain, no one in the District wants anything to do with you, and are relieved that you're finally gone, I will be giving you your token.

The Peacekeepers move to hold me still as the mayor walks forward and takes his hands from behind his back, revealing a black metal collar, which he snaps into place around my throat. There's a sharp pain in the back of my neck, followed by heavy tingling. Something in this collar is needling into my spinal cord…

"You think you can just act like an animal in _my_ District." he sighs with a scowl. "Have you forgotten where you are, Kyrain? This is District Ten. We _specialize_ in taking care of animals."

"What is this?" I ask, trying to adjust my breathing now that this collar is in the way…

"I'm glad you asked." Mayor Odin says, looking over to a Peacekeeper with a remote control. He nods and turns a dial. All of a sudden, my vision goes white and my body starts to convulse as powerful burning electricity shoots up my spine and starts to fry my brain. They're going to kill me here.

"_We _specialize_ in taking care of animals."_

All of a sudden, the electricity stops, but my body is still reacting violently. I can't see, hear, or talk, and I still feel like I'm shaking. When I'm coherent again, I look up in absolute hate at the mayor. "Just wait till I get back, you bastard. I'm going to win this stupid Quell, and then I'm going to tear you down. Tear you and this whole damn _District_ down!"

He just nods and makes his exit. The Peacekeepers begin to follow, except for the one with the remote. He continues to glare coldly at me as I try to recover from that massive shock. I open my mouth to say something to him, but we both know what I'm going to say won't be nice, so he just goes ahead and shocks me again. This time, I actually faint.

**(A/N: Tada! Thank you for reading, Hungry Gamers! Summer is busier than I would've hoped, but it'll pick back up soon, I promise! Two more Reapings left before we can jump right back into the real deal! I can't wait!**

**Until next time, Hungry Gamers, bye bye!)**


	11. Go Die: Ariana and Chiro

**(A/N: Welcome back, readers! The second-to-last chapter is coming your way! PREPARE YOURSELVES**

~Ariana's POV~

"_Oh, plants! Oh, trees!_

_Oh, birds! Oh, bees!_

_Oh how, oh how do I loooooove thee!"_

My cheery voice rises to the heavens as I twirl around in my assigned acre of orchard, picking up apples where I see them and tossing them with great accuracy into my basket, which sits beside the greatest of the apple trees, at least in my acre. I love, love, _love_ to sing! It's my favorite hobby!

"_Oh, sky! Oh, clouds!_

_Oh, faces in crowds!_

_Oh how, oh how do I loooooov-"_

I'm jolted and interrupted by the distinct and scary sound of a whip, cracking like lightning against someone's skin. I turn to the sound of anguished crying and see a couple of flog-wielding Peacekeepers standing over a little thirteen-year-old girl wearing a tattered off-white dress. The poor kid is on her knees, begging.

"Please, no! Don't whip me anymore! I-I was just so hungry! I'm sorry I ate the apple! Pl-"

The girl is cut off as one of the Peacekeepers delivers an ear-popping crack of the whip to the side of her face, sending her to the ground with another chilling cry of pain. The other Peacekeeper bites into her left hip with his own flogging strap, and in an agonized panic, I see the little girl try to desperately crawl away.

"No! _NO!_" she cries out again as one Peacekeeper drops his flog and grabs her by one of her bare feet, pulling her back and causing her to drop to her belly. I clasp my hand over my mouth as the other Peacekeeper barks for his companion to hold her down. He does so soundly by pinning the base of her right arm to the ground with one foot.

The first Peacekeeper goes to work, mercilessly whipping her back, her bottom, and the backs of her thighs. She cried and screamed hysterically, and I couldn't bear to listen to her pain anymore… I started toward her to try and convince the Peacekeepers to ease up, but a sharp whistle stops me. I turn and see a tall boy shake his head solemnly. There was nothing I could do for her…

I turn back to my large apple pail and am relieved to see that it's full. If I can't do anything to help, the only thing left is to just leave entirely. That's the primary unspoken rule here in District Eleven, unfortunately. I scoop up my pail and start to half-run across my acre, toward The Glut, where all crops are required to be deposited for sorting and separation, a whole different process of child labor.

No, Ariana, no! I can't think like this! Being sad is not going to make anything any better, so I do what I always do when I'm feeling sad: I hum _Deep in the Meadow._ It's a very old song that was made famous by Katniss Everdeen, The Martyred Mockingjay. She was a key feature in the Second Dark Days, but died in an apartment explosion, so I've heard.

Humming the solemn tune calms my nerves, and before I know it, I've deposited my 90% of my haul into The Glut and take the remaining 10%, 9 apples, with me back to my family's appointed shack borough. They're all the same size, and since my family is a bit on the larger side, we've been crudely split into two separate shacks. We still find ways to make it work, though, so at least there's that! My father has technical custody of me and my older sister Gabrielle, so I head over to my mother's appointed shack first, where she care for my two younger sisters, Trianna and Belinda. My eldest sister, Angela is over 21, so she's been appointed her own shack that's unfortunately in another borough… I don't see her much at all anymore.

"Momma?" I call as I open the door carefully, so I don't spook anyone.

"Ariana, are you back already? Come on in!" my mother's kind and careworn voice invites. When I enter, I immediately see that she's trying her hardest to smile. Lately, there's not been much to smile about, frankly, so I really appreciate her putting in the effort!

"How much do you have, sis?" Belinda chimes, standing up and beaming at me eagerly.

"Nine apples this time." I say proudly.

"Nine whole apples." my mother sighs happily, shaking her head and chuckles. "That's enough to feed one to all of us, isn't it?"

"Yes'm." I say politely. "A whole four more than yesterday! I'm working faster!"

"You sure are, honey." Mom said. I walk over and lean so she can give me a kiss on the cheek, then I give her, Trianna, and Belinda their apples. "Go and give the rest of your haul to *cough!* to the others…"

I fret a little. My mother's been feeling a little under the weather lately, and every time she coughs like that, it makes my heart pang… "Here, Momma. Take another apple. You need it more than the rest of us."

"Aw, thank you, deary." she told me, pulling me into a tight hug.

"No problem!" I respond, waving to that half of my family as I make the short skip over to my father's shack.

The smell of bread meets my nose and I perk up! Gabrielle makes some of the best bread in District Eleven! I rush right in and smile at the sprawl on the table. 2 sheets of twelve loaves of bread sit on our table. Gabrielle and my father turn to me with weary smiles as I enter.

"Good to see you're back, Ar-" my father starts. He is cut off by the sound of a distant *pop!* sound. He continues to pause for a few moments, and I hear it again.

*pop!*

At first I think it's the electric fence malfunctioning somewhere nearby, since it's been doing that a lot today, most likely on account of the power failures we're heard are on the rise in District Five, but the grim look on my father's face clues me in on what it really is: gunshots.

"It's good to see you back, Ariana." my father says with a little less pep than before. "Is that your load for today?"

"Yessir. Five apples in here." I say, _Deep in the Meadow_ playing in my head to settle my nerves again.

"Five apples?" he repeats. "Have you been over to your mother's shack yet?"

His sharp hazel eyes lock onto mine, and I nod quickly.

"Yessir. I gave two to Trianna and Belinda and two to Momma."

"Good girl, good girl." he says with a nod of approval. You and Gabrielle can take two each for all the good work you've been doing. I'll eat the one."

"Thanks, Papa!" I cheer, running up with Gabrielle to hug him.

"Easy on the ol' back…" he groans. He all laugh as we pull away, but laughter never lasts long. Our happiness is cut off again by the sound of a siren that indicated that it was time for the Reapings in a few minutes. I look out of the window as Trianna runs past with Belinda by the hand.

"Better get going." Papa tells me. "We'll catch up. Go, go."

I nod and kiss Papa goodbye before grabbing two small bands from my dresser and rushing out the door, quickly throwing my snowy-blonde hair into pigtails while following Trianna and Belinda.

~Chiro's POV~

People-herding is a regular sight on the Reaping Day. I look about as I see globs of dark-skinned, dark-haired, weary-eyed parents and their bone-thin children trek glumly to the giant square in the heart of District Eleven. I must look really silly in all of these different colors: black trousers, green long-sleeved shirt, orange shirt-sleeved shirt underneath, blue socks and red shoes and cloak and all of these blankets to keep me warm, despite the heat today… But no one seems to notice, to my relief. As we're squeezed and compressed into our corrals, I can't help but notice the giant video screen atop the Justice Building. It's flickering and letting out an odd, crackling noise, as if something is broken inside of it.

"Greetings from the illustrious Capitol, District Eleven!" our butt-kissing escort Feiffer squeaked into the mike. "Welcome, one and all, to the Reaping of the 175th Hunger Games, our 7th Quarter Quell! Yay!"

She claps, and no one claps with her. I jump as a Peacekeeper near the stage fires a gunshot into the air. Slowly, the corralled tributes begin to applaud, much to Feiffer's delight.

"Excellent, excellent! Now, what is not so excellent is the fact that Districts Five and Three are undergoing technical failures right this moment. That being said, we are unable to show you our annual promo! But do not despair, children! I'm sure you'll all be delighted to see it next year, huh? Now, then! We might as well start our Reapings!"

I look around as Feiffer walks to the girls' Reaping ball. Somewhere in this despondent crowd, three of my sisters and one of my friends was in danger… I hold my breath as I hope to the heavens that the odds are in their favor…

~Ariana's POV~

"Jaclyn Coven!" Feiffer announces. I sigh in relief, comforted with the knowledge that I was safe for another year, but saddened with the knowledge that Jaclyn Coven was that girl who I saw get whipped today. Getting put through that much pain, and now this?

I watch for Jaclyn to emerge, and furl my eyebrows when she doesn't not even after a full twenty seconds.

"Jaclyn Coven?" Feiffer repeats.

"She's dead." I hear a Peacekeeper's disinterested voice call from the foot of the stage. My blood runs cold, and all the corrals collectively gasp. I also hear an anguished scream of mourning from the back, where the older citizens are required to stay.

"Dead? Oh… How unfortunate…" Feiffer sighs.

I can't brush this off… The pieces fit together way too well in my head. The Peacekeeper who spoke was one of the same ones I saw whipping Jaclyn. I _saw_ her getting whipped in the field… T-The gunshots…

I nearly break down crying right there, but I have to hold myself together. For perhaps the first time in the history of the Hunger Games… there has to be a redraw. Feiffer plucks a second card from the ball and reads it out.

"Ariana Rulan-Evens?"

No… No. No! _No! NO!_ How is this possible? I'm completely frozen in place, and I can hear the sobs of my family behind me, Belinda's frightened scream… It all comes crashing down around me. My world crumbles…

A Peacekeeper has to grab me my the arm and push me forward in order to get me started toward the stage. Tears start to fall from my eyes… The first tears I've cried in… weeks? Maybe months? Nevertheless, they sting my eyes and cloud my vision. This can't be happening.

Feiffer rubs my back in mock sympathy, then steps behind me over to the boys' Reaping Ball, not even bothering to call for volunteers, since there will be none. I bury my head in my hands and begin to bawl my eyes out. I know I told myself being sad was not going to make things any better… But _nothing_ can make this moment any worse…

~Chiro's POV~

Never have I been more devastated about a Reaping here in District Eleven. Had Jaclyn not been dead… She would've been safe with her family for at least another year. I feel extremely bad for her, and can't even bear to look her in the face, not even as Feiffer reads from the boy tribute's card.

"Tason Stock-"

"_NO!"_

"Er…" Feiffer finishes, furling her eyebrows as my friend Jarlee's older brother Tason Stocker steps solemnly out of his place. At the same time, the girls in the 18-year-old section make way for a young lady that is visibly pregnant as she quickly runs out and wraps her arms around Tason.

"Emlia…" I hear Tason murmur.

"Tason, no! I'm not- I can't lose you! I just can't! Our baby needs you!"

"Emlia, I have no choice. P-Please let go…"

A Peacekeeper draws his gun and points it at the couple. "Keep it moving, or else!"

"NO! If you shoot him, you'll have to shoot me first! Are you really prepared to kill a pregnant woman?"

The Peacekeeper cocks his gun and begins to advance.

"STOP!" I scream over the concerned murmurs. I push past the Peacekeeper and stand before the stage. Even Ariana has lifted her head to look at the commotion with her bleary eyes.

"Tason has no choice…" I start. "But I do! I volunteer as tribute!"

I'm as light as a feather and as skinny as a toothpick, but I feel strong this moment. I begin to shiver as I start up the steps, where Feiffer is trying not to faint from all the drama. Ariana looks at me, stunned. I extend my hand and she takes mine and shakes it firmly. I look out at the crowd and Tason gives me the most grateful smile I've ever seen. Emlia is crying hysterically, mouthing 'Thank you.' I think she wants to speak, but she has no voice left.

"L-Ladies and gentlemen! I give to you your Quell Tributes for the 175th Annual Hunger Games! Bless their hearts! And may the odds be _ever_ in their favor!" Feiffer shouts. To my surprise, the audience begins to clap. District Eleven has not genuinely clapped for the Reaping in years… A small smile crawls onto my face, and even Ariana looks less sad than before.

"Mom… Dad…" I murmur to myself, looking up to the sky. "This is for you…"

The thought sticks with me until a few minutes later, when I look up to see the door to the visiting room open. I heave a sigh as I look up at Purlia, my stepmother, as her cross visage storms in and looks down at me.

"What is the _matter_ with you?" she yells at me. I barely react. I expected this to happen.

"I did what I had to do for my friend." I answer simply.

"What you did was absolutely _selfish_! Did you even think about any of us before you went and did that? Your brothers, your sisters! _Me!_"

I was starting to feel a little bad until she mentioned herself. Then I knew exactly where this was going. Her rant continues.

"With you gone, dying in the Hunger Games, my schedule will be in ruins! Who's going to collect the clothes from the lines? Who's going to clean up all the plates? Who's going to-"

"I don't care!" I shout suddenly in frustration. This surprises her, so I continue making my point. "I don't care about your stupid clothes or your stupid dirty plates, or your stupid… you! I don't care! I did what I did to help out a friend who _needed_ me. All you want is to use me as your slave like you do the rest of us!"

"After all I've done for you, you ungrateful brat! I gave you a roof to live under and clothes to wear and food to eat! I cared enough to take you into my home, and this is how you repay me?"

"Don't act like you took us in out of the kindness of your heart! You only keep us around to serve you and your _own_ children. And you give us your kids' old clothes! And you feed us the leftovers that you and your kids don't eat! You don't care about us! You're a _monster_!"

"Well, _go_, then! Go die!" she shouts in my face before storming out of the room and leaving me in silence for the rest of my time before I'm to be taken to the train station. As the Peacekeepers come to take me, I adjust scarf, the item I've chosen as my token, and stand, taking one more look around the room before I'm taken back into the halls of the Justice Building.

**(A/N: Hooray! We're almost done! Only District Thirteen is left to redo, and then I can start on shaping the major story again! I promise you, there's going to be a fair amount of delicious new drama in the preceding events before the Games once I'm done updating. :D That drama may just flow over into the Games themselves! n_n**

**Until next time, Hungry Gamers! Bye bye!)**


	12. Motivation: Ebony and Jinstance

**(A/N: Welcome back, Hungry Gamers to the end of the beginning! The D13 Reapings! This chapter was easier than most, since all it needed was a goodbyes part, but business has really put me down. Not to mention the super-storm that made its way through my area recently. Power was out for a while. T-T**

**Without further ado, I give you District Thirteen's Reaping chapter!)**

~Jinstance's POV~

I can feel my heart leap as the explosion goes off as planned. My jaw drops wide open, because it goes _way_ better than we had planned it on the spitball board. We expected there to be a big bang; what we didn't expect was the door to fly off its hinges!

Of course, the Peacekeepers start scrambling everywhere, guns a-blazing. They start to slow down as they begin to realize that the explosion was not meant to kill anybody, and the green smoke surrounding the area was not toxic. Then they smell it. A mix of sulfur, rotten eggs, and Lancer's Secret Sauce. The smell must be unbearable, because their eyes are all watering and some look like they're trying to claw their own noses off of their faces!

One of the Peacekeeper's pink eyes look in my direction and gasp. Big mistake. He's now coughing hysterically and can't let his cohorts know that I'm around the corner. It's only a matter of time, though, so I grab Lancer and Jinx and start pulling them.

"Time to go, time to go!" I chatter, breaking into a sprint toward the elevator, which is a ways down the hall. I hear a distinct 'Get those punks!' and I smile, shaking the hair out my hazel eyes for better perception, then I really start to book it. Lancer and Jinx, fortunately, aren't far behind.

"Come on, come on! Hurry!" I hear Lishi's voice from somewhere ahead of me. I can hear the voices of the Peacekeepers behind me, and they're getting closer. One heroic leap later, and I'm rolling into the safety of the elevator with Lancer and Jinx, no more time to spare. As soon as we're all in, Lishi takes his hand off the 'Hold door' button on the elevator and starts to mash the 'close doors' button. They don't close any quicker than if he would've pressed it once, though, but luckily, they close us off completely and the elevator begins to rise, moments before they would've reached us.

"Whew…" I sigh, slumping to the floor. "That. Was. _Awesome!_"

I whoop and cheer as well-deserved high-fives start to go around. "Nice work, guys! Great plan, Jinstance!" Lishi congratulates, leaning against the elevator wall and carefully taking his hand off his crutch to pat me on the shoulder.

The gesture of effort means a lot to me, considering Lishi's condition. Due to a complication at birth, many of the nerves in his left leg were damaged. He walked with a limp for most of his 11-year life, but over the years, his condition worsened… Now he can't walk without a crutch, and to make matters more dire, he's said he's starting to lose feeling in his _right_ leg, too.

But Lishi's been my buddy since we _started_ walking, and we've both agreed that the fact that he can't doesn't make him any less of a group member than Lancer or Jinx or…

I move the hair out of my eye and look around, realizing we're short a person.

"Where's Prax?" I inquire. Before anyone can answer, it hits me. Praexie must not have gotten into the elevator in time! She's still down there with those Peacekeepers, and who knows _what_ they're doing to her! Beating her, torturing her for information, or… Or…

"We have to go back for her!" I yell, leaping to smash the button for the floor we just left. Jinx grabs my hand before I can, though.

"Whoa, Jinstance, easy! Prax didn't come with us this time, remember? She went with her mom to pick up her Reaping dress from the tailor." he explained.

That's another thing I forgot about. Today is Reaping Day. My spirits start to lower, but Lishi picks me back up again.

"I always knew you like-liked Prax, Jinstance." He chuckles. I flush immediately; they're bringing _that_ up again…

"Shut up, no I don't!" I assert. All three of them start laughing, and I'm sure it's because my funny-looking eyebrows are raised. So hilarious.

The laughter quickly grinds to a halt as the elevator door slides open to the above-ground level. My back is now to the exit, so I don't know what's up until I turn around to stare into the stern and annoyed visage of the mayor of District Thirteen, AKA my mother…

"Mr. Jambox," she starts. Lancer stifles a snicker, and my face scrunches in annoyance, too. "You are in _so_ much trouble."

~Ebony's POV~

*Thwack!*

The sound of axe meeting tree gratifies my ears. I stand up and relax out of my throwing stance, looking to my father for criticism. His cold and pale blue eyes stare into _my_ cold and pale blue eyes for a moment, then he goes to examine the tree.

"Perfect throw, finally." he says, managing a small smile. I smile a little myself as I go to retrieve the axe.

"Don't bother; the Reapings are in thirty minutes. Start heading home and getting dressed; I'll catch up. Gotta clear our tracks."

"Sure, Dad." I say, turning and sticking my hands into the pockets of my jeans after brushing the hair out of my face.

My mom's a descendant of a District Seven woman that migrated to Thirteen during the Second Dark Days. Her wooden-brown hair and her soft light brown eyes… It was clear that she was truly a Seven by just looking at her. I, on the other hand, am only a Seven at heart and in skill. On the outside, I'm more of a Thirteen. It's the eyes, I inherited them from my dad.

As I break the tree line and start on the path to home, I'm carefully looking around to see if any Peacekeepers are out and about on this dreary day. Very few… The majority have entered The Complex to prepare for the imminent Reaping.

"Ebbie!" I hear a squeaky voice call out. I smile and turn my head to my sister as she runs up and leaps into my arms. Acacia is thirteen, but she still acts like a child, which everyone finds adorable.

"Cee Cee! Good to see you're all dressed." I chuckle, putting her back down.

"Mommy's sick… She said she might not be able to come to the Reaping today." Acacia tells me.

I fret immediately. My mother has been 'sick' since two years ago, when my brother Onyx was Reaped. He died in the bloodbath… It shattered all of our hearts but our mother doubtlessly took the murder of her first child the hardest. She's been slipping into and out of depression ever since, and it even seems like she's detached from reality sometimes…

"Tell Daddy when he comes back, Acacia. I have to go get dressed." I sigh, patting her on the head. As I step into the house, I can see her laying on the cough and staring at a picture of Onyx. It breaks my heart to see her this way…

"Mom?" I call. She doesn't respond. "Mom, I'm going to go get dressed for the Reaping."

I can see her throat tighten, but she still doesn't respond. I almost want to cry… Before Onyx died, she was so happy, so carefree and loving. These Games have stolen that away from her. Crying in front of her will only make her feel worse, though, so I hold back my tears until she's out of earshot, then I start to sob as I change clothes.

~Jinstance's POV~

"Breaking and entering. Harassing the Peacekeepers. Unauthorized entry into the Unit Subdivision. Petty acts of terror."

"Come on, mom. That's not a real charge." I scoff, crossing my arms. My mother, who goes by Mayor Peach (no one can take seriously someone with the last name 'Jambox'), sighs at me.

"I made it one, specifically for you."

"I'm a petty terrorist now?"

"Yes, seeing as you make it sport to terrorize the masses."

"All in good fun, you know that."

"I do, Mr. Jambox." she says, smiling for a moment. 'Mr. Jambox' is what she calls me when I'm in 'trouble'. It irks me, and that's why she does it. Her smile fades, however.

"Nevertheless, Jinstance, you have to be aware that the Peacekeepers have rights that are inalienable, even from me. The right to kill, for one…"

"Oh, please, everyone loves me! If they kill me, it'll spark an enraged revolt!"

I raise my eyebrows goofily to try and make my mother laugh, and she's trying really hard not to crack a smile.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Mr. Jambox." she warns as I stand.

"Meh! The dangerous ones are the most fun to play!" I chuckle at her as I climb out of her office window and leap onto the roof of an adjacent building. "I'll be at the Reaping! Just gotta stop and see someone first!"

Somehow, I'm able to safely shimmy down to the ground without hurting myself. I start to jog away from my mom's office building, going a little ways down the street, and then start my instinctive route up the moss covered-structure - I can't remember its name - on the side of the two-story house on the corner.

After a careful minute of climbing, I reach my target window and peer inside. Praexie is standing in front of her mirror, adjusting the soft blue one-shouldered sundress she wore around her form. When I tap hard on her window and call "Prax!", she jumps, tripping on the air and falling to the floor.

I pull my head away from the window and squeeze my eyes closed, choking on a laugh. Moments later, as I've regained my composure, Praexie throws her window open.

"What the heck, Jinstance?" she yells, to which I burst out laughing. "Ugh! Get inside!"

Prax begrudgingly pulls me into her room through the window, then crosses her arms and looks me over. "Well, I suppose you could look worse."

"Thanks, your dress isn't _completely_ awful." I shoot. She punches me in the chest, and I punch her in the arm. Then the fight starts.

Prax and I have been wrestling since we met. It's _how_ we met, actually. She tackled me in the woods because I was a step away from tripping one of her more dangerous snares that would've sheared my foot off. Prax is a hunter, in case I forgot to mention that.

She's been one of my best friends ever since, usually coming along with Lancer, Jinx, Lishi, and I on our wild misadventures. We fight constantly, yes, and I've only been able to pin her twice, and both times, I took her by surprise. But I was certain that I would win this bout; there was no way I was about to be pinned by a girl wearing a dress!

Sure enough, she somehow manages to take me to the ground, sitting on my stomach and holding my arms to the floor, smiling down at me smugly. I happen to accidentally notice that her dress hiked itself up to her thighs in the scuffle. I don't want to do this, but it's the only way I can win at this juncture!

"Nice panties," I chuckle. Prax squeals in response, taking her hands from my arms to pull her dress hemline back down. The moment I'm free, I push her off and sit on _her_ stomach, pinning _her_ arms to the floor! Victory!

"No fair, pervert." Prax scoffs as I help her to her feet.

"All's fair in unofficial bedroom wrestling." I throw back, wiggling my brows. Praexie smiles at me.

"My mom should be back any minute. You should get going. You win this round, Jambox, but I want a rematch when we get back from the Complex!"

"Sure thing!" I call as I leap out of her window.

~Ebony's POV~

"Welcome, tribute candidates, parents, and other citizens, to the Reaping for the 175th Hunger Games, our 7th Quarter Quell!" I hear our doughy escort Cookie announce. We're all gathered in the large auditorium at the bottom of the Social Subdivision of the Complex, looking awkward and depressed.

I habitually tug at the hemline of my short white dress, swirled with glittery designs. it belonged to my mother when she was young enough to fit into it. It was actually her last gift to me before Onyx died and she started breaking down…

Cookie vaguely describes the 'technical difficulties' in Districts Five and Three, and the rampant power troubles in many of the Districts and small parts of the Capitol. Thirteen has an independent power supply, so we're not bothered, but Cookie feels that it wouldn't be fair if we get to see the three-minute promo when the other Districts don't, as if that makes a difference, so we skip it anyway.

I watch as the poofy-haired rotund lady waddles over to the girls' Reaping Ball and takes her sweet time picking out a card.

"Ebony Cress!"

… My heart skips two beats as I hear my name bounce through my skull. The other girls in the 16's corral make way for me as I edge my way out and make my way up to the stage. There is a Peacekeeper on either side of me to make sure I don't try to escape.

"Ebbie!" I hear Acacia's voice blubber. She reaches out from the 13's to take my hand, but a Peacekeeper's whip cracks across the back of her hand and she pulls back with a screech.

I glare at the offending Peacekeeper and nearly hit him, but restrain myself… It won't do any good… I make my way up to the stage and stare out. My father's forlorn face meets mine, and my heart shatters. I have to come home. The news of my Reaping will devastate my mother, for certain, and the only way she'll get better is if I win this shocking Quarter Quell, which I don't yet completely understand, and that scares me most of all…

The stage rumbles slightly as Cookie slowly lumbers her portly form to the other side to pick a name out of the boys' Reaping Ball. I can see the name on the card from here. It's Jinx Buxley.

"Jinstance Jambox!"

Wait… what? I furl my thick eyebrows in confusion. That's not who was supposed to be reaped. Then I run the name through my head again. Jambox. That's the last name of our mayor…

I turn to my left and see Mayor Peach's fists clenched as she watches her son swagger up to the stage in as dignified a manner as he can. I suppose I expected this… It's Quell tradition. Every Quell to date, at least one mayor's kid has been Reaped. As I look into Jinstance's eyes, I can tell I make him uncomfortable. My eyes make _everyone_ uncomfortable, they're so weird. I don't blame him. He tries hard to keep eye contact as we shake hands, and Cookie places two pillowy hands with sausage-like fingers on our shoulders.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your Quell Tributes for the 175th Annual Hunger Games! How about a round of applause?"

Not one person claps.

~Jinstance's POV~

As I sit quietly in the waiting room of the above-ground Justice Building, I ponder over how in hindsight, I should've expected this. I suppose I accepted that it was going to happen eventually, which is why I was doing a bit of training from a young age. Just not this early.

The door opens and snaps me out of my thoughts, and I look up at my mother. I knew she'd be here first. Her face looks solemn and older than she really is, and it looks like she's trying to fight back tears.

"Is it fun yet, Mr. Jambox?" she asked bitterly.

"Come on, Mom," I sigh with a smile. "I haven't even left yet and you act like I'm not coming back. I've got a good chance at winning this thing."

"Jinstance, you have a 1 in 24 chance of coming back alive." she says to me.

"Yeah, but so does everyone else. And if the Gamemakers like me, and of course they will, they could tip the odds in my favor! I'm going to try my best out there. And if I do go down-"

"Let me stop you right there." my mom cut in, walking up and wrapping her arms tightly around me. As she pulls back, she takes something shiny out of her pocket and puts it in my hand. It's a nameplate with the words 'Mayor Jinstance engraved into it. …I remember when my mom made this for me.

"That's to remind you of home. Motivation." she says, and the look in her eyes suggests that she's on the brink of tears again. "Jinstance… Don't die. Just… please don't die."

Just as the tears start to fall, she turns and takes her leave. The room is deathly silent until about a minute later, when the doors open again and I see Lancer and Jinx come in with sympathetic visages.

"Hey, bro." Jinx sighs heavily, setting a hand on my shoulder. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" I say, putting on my brightest smile. "Kinda bummed to be leaving, but I'll be back for sure. Where's Lishi?"

"He, uh…" Lancer started before trailing off. Jinx picked his sentence up.

"He had to go down to the Medical Subdivision after you and that chick Ebony left. His condition worsened and… the whole lower half of his body's gone numb."

My blood chills. "Will he be alright?"

"His family's walking the red line just paying for his room in the ward. He has insurance, but it might not be enough." Lancer sighs.

I silently decide what I'm going to spend my winnings on as I lift my head and steel my gaze. "And Prax?"

Lancer shrugs. Jinx offers: "Haven't seen her since the elevator ride down to the Complex."

I nod and look at the door as it opens. Peacekeepers.

"Gotta go, bud. Kick ass, alright?" Jinx says with a smile and another encouraging pat on the shoulder as he and Lancer stepped out. All is quiet again, for a long time. So long that I doubt anyone else will come see me until the sound of the door opening again surprises me. I look up and stare into Praexie's bleary red eyes and tear-drowned face.

Nothing happens for about ten seconds. I start to fall apart on the inside when I see just how much she's fallen apart on the outside, and she looks at me as I'm being crucified right in front of her. Then she suddenly bursts into more heavy sobbing and runs into my arms, hugging me as tightly as she can.

"J-Jinstance…" she blubbers weakly as her fresh tears stain my shirt and start to tickle my skin. I don't say anything. I just hold her as tightly as she's holding me and rest my chin on her one bare shoulder. She doesn't say anything else either, besides the occasional shaky sob.

Despite her shivering, Prax feels surprisingly warm in my arms… Thinking like this suddenly brings me back to earlier today, when my heart raced with panic at the thought of Prax being left behind at the hands of the Peacekeepers. When I got way too flustered than I should've when Lishi suggested I liked Prax as more than a friend…

Before I'm completely sure of what I'm doing, I pull Prax away slightly and cup her face in my hands, staring deeply into her big brown eyes. I almost want to tell her she looks like her dog right now just for chance that she'd slap me or punch me so I could hit her back and we could wrestle like old times, forget this pseudo-romantic scene had ever almost happened, and squeeze _some_ entertainment out of this unlucky circumstance before I'm shipped off to my likely death…

But I know there's a better chance that I'd only make things worse, and this is something that I know I have to do right. So I bring her head down slightly. Just enough so that I can softly press my lips right between her eyebrows. I'd have given her a real kiss if we were three years older. She doesn't say anything. She doesn't flinch. I don't feel her face scrunch up in disgust. Slowly, I pull away and bring her face back to eye level. Her eyes have gotten more bright and wistful, and her lip has stopped quivering.

I lean forward to rest my forehead on hers and stare hard into her eyes. "I'm coming back, Praexie." I promise, surprised and impressed with how steady I'm keeping my voice, because suddenly I feel like crying just like Prax was. "I'm coming back. To my mom. To the crew. The my District… To you."

I've never actually acted on the feelings for Praexie I admit I've been bottling up, so this is frustratingly tough for me… I wish this could be as simple as two friends wrestling, but I've got harder hurdles ahead. This is just the first, and arguably the easiest, I have to overcome.

The longer we just stare silently at each other, the more my chest starts to hurt, so I'm slightly relieved when the Peacekeepers come in to break us up and escort her out. As soon as the door is closed and I'm certain that no one else will walk in on me, I rest my head in my hands and start to get as many of my tears out as I can. Tears won't help me win the Games. But my mom's token, the knowledge that Lishi's in financial trouble that _I_ can fix, and Praexie… They just might.

**(A/N: Before I say anything else, I want to apologize to everybody that I've left hanging and/or disappointed with my sudden disappearance. So many distractions, writer's block included, have taken me away from my writing. And computer trouble wiping my progress when I **_**do**_** try to work on the story has killed my motivation. I had just about decided I would give up on this when my computer died and killed all of my work **_**just**_** as I had finished typing this chapter, but I was recently remotivated by MegynFan13 and her marvelous stories! You have her to thank! n_n**

**I'll try my best to do better. The Reapings are over and I might just have an easier time with the rest of the story. But I need your help. It's clear that writer's block has been a major hazard in the advancement of the story… With that in mind, do you think it's worth me trying to revamp the other chapters? Or should I just re-post the rest of the chapters and try to pick up where the story left off?**

**Sorry again, readers, for my negligence, and thank you for reading! Awaiting your input! Until then, this is SH10, back and hopefully better than before!)**


	13. You Only Live Once

**(A/N: Hello, hello! Welcome to the District One train ride chapter! A much more extensive look at the events following the District One Reapings. We're getting elbow-deep in **_**actual**_** drama and tension of varying varieties! n_n Going back, I realized that the original chapters were actually very bland when compared to how much I'm altering them. :3 I think you'll all b pleasantly surprised!**

**That's right! I've decided to try my hand at tweaking these chapters as much as possible and make them better! They'll have both District tributes' POVs and will be adjusted according to the respective changes in the Reaping chapters! I'll try to fight off writer's block as best as I can, but it's REALLY hard! Wish me luck!**

**A slight change I've made: Agate, who was originally sixteen, will now be eighteen in the story. I'll go back and change what I need to change later.**

**Warning: Mild lewdness and suggestive themes and language ahead.)**

~Agate's POV~

Not long after my dad left me my token, my District counterpart Marie and I were taken from the Justice Building and led outside, where a nice-looking car waited to deliver us the fair distance from the center of District One north to the train station. Harmonee climbed into the driver's seat, and I let Marie get in and climb over to the far side before getting in beside her.

"You two didn't happen to notice either Ruby or Thyst in the audience or in the Justice Building, did you?" Harmonee interrogated as soon as the car doors were closed and locked and we began moving. My head still kinda throbs from last night's party that's still a blur in my head, and I'm actually having a hard time figuring out who she's talking about, so I just give a neutral shrug.

"I didn't. Should I have?" Marie inquired.

"They better not have excused themselves to take an early trip to the trains…" Harmonee growled as the automobile picked up speed.

"Harmonee, what do you mean?" Marie prodded again.

"Hush, hush! I need to pay attention to these dark roads down here…" she responded, turning on the high beams. Moments later, then car began to travel down a ramp and into a tunnel passage, above which was the word 'STATION' engraved into the stone roofing the tunnel entrance.

With the bright headlamps illuminating the tunnel, the view was bright and clear ahead of us, but inside the car was dark and quiet. I could barely see Marie's face, but I could tell her green eyes were all over me… I really didn't pay her much mind until I felt her hand on mine. Looking back in her direction, I saw that she had scooted herself closer to me.

"So… Agate," she whispered, and I could tell by the way the silhouette of her face shifted that she was now smiling suggestively at me. Her fingers moved slowly down my hand, but stopped for a moment to drum against an obstruction on my finger: the curve of the pure diamond ring my dad gave me. One of her fingers glided curiously over the hard, smooth surface of the priceless trinket before finally speaking up again. "Ooh… What's this?"

"My token." I answer curtly, pulling my hand away from hers and setting it on my lap. She follows my motion, setting the hand once more atop the one now on my lap. Damn, she's relentless.

"I could've guessed _that_, silly." she giggled under her breath. "What _is_ it?"

"A ring. 100% diamond." I answer with the same curt frankness, taking my hands from my lap and crossing them over my chest. I was stupid to think this would fend her off. Now her hand is pressed to my arm and she's gotten a bit closer than I'd like. "Marie, you know I have a girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah, I know." she says casually, as if I had just told her about the weather. "But Coral isn't here with you. I am."

"Lemme rephrase that." I sigh, uncrossing my arms and brushing her hand off of me. "I'm in a committed relationship with someone that's _not_ you. And no offense, but I have no intentions of messing that up."

She begins to pout, and I think I may have gotten through to her, until she starts talking again. "Oh, come on, Agate…" Her hand tries to go back to my arm, but I catch it and hold it firmly. She frowns, then continues. "Coral will be here when you get back. She doesn't have to know. Besides, if you do get back, I won't be with you, so neither you nor Coral will have anything to worry about."

"Marie, you're not underst-" I start, only to realize she wasn't finished.

"But… What if you _don't_ get back? What if you die? You'll have wasted the rest of your life pining away for a girl back home you'll never get to see again instead of indulging in the here and the now. You only live once, Agate. You should really learn to live for the moment."

Brushing a strand of her golden locks behind her ear, she scoots back to where she had been sitting originally, turning her head away from me and looking out the window at the twilight reflecting off the walls from the faded edge of the high beams. I'm stunned and confused…

I don't want to think about what Marie just said to me, but it's impossible not to. Death is a sure possibility, if you'll pardon the oxymoron… Do I really want to leave it to chance that I do survive, instead of…

My eyes turn to Marie again, and as they do, she shifts in her seat, as if she detected my gaze. For a moment, I can't help but stare. She _is_ gorgeous. Shiny blonde hair, full chest, smooth milky legs…

No. No, no, no, no, _no_. I have a girlfriend. I can't be thinking about other women… I _will_ get home and I _will_ have Coral. All of her.

My thoughts are interrupted as the car suddenly comes to a halt. Harmonee turns her head to look at us. "Alright, come on out, kids."

Marie gets out of the car from her side and I get out from mine. I turn my head just in time to see a gate being closed around the entrance by which we came. I turn back to Harmonee in time to see her cover her face with her palm as she spots a second car parked nearer to the boarding platform of the sleek and fancy silver bullet train that will deliver us to the Capitol.

"They got here first…" she groaned with distraught as we began to be directed toward the car that we would be boarding on. "I just hope that they listened to me for once…"

I want to ask who and what she was talking about, but I don't want to sound stupid, so I just keep my eyes forward as the bay doors begin to open. "Ladies first." I say, nodding and allowing Harmonee and Marie to enter first.

Harmonee doesn't glance around for more than a second and a half before shouting, "Dammit!"

"What the hell..?" Marie inquires, furling her eyebrows and looking around the train car. My curiosity raging, I push in beside the two of them, and take a long look around at what they were so interested in…

"Oh, blast them! I warned them _multiple_ times not to do this anymore! Now I'm going to have to report them for vandalism!" I think Harmonee says, though I'm not so sure since I'm barely listening to her… I'm too busy staring in awe and confusion at what I've just stepped into…

The car we're now standing in is thoroughly riddled with purple and red jewel studs. The table is studded, the chairs are studded, the silverware, the couch, the beanbags, the walls, the ceiling… _Everything_ is bejeweled…

My wide golden eyes scan the 'vandalized' train car, and the walls in particular catch my attention. On the left wall of the car, parallel to the entrance, is a pattern of red gems that spelled out the name 'Ruby Jenkins' in the best calligraphy that I've ever seen. Opposite that, on the right wall, is a pattern of purple gems that spell 'Maximillion Thyst' in equally impressive form. The names are familiar, and I realize that those are the names that Harmonee asked about earlier. Moreover, I recognize the names as those of District One's well-known Victors now-turned mentor duo.

"You two take a seat and stay put. I'm going to find those two addle-brained pests and give them what for!" Harmonee sighs to us.

Looking around, it doesn't seem like there are many places that one can sit comfortably… The myriad of hard studs would make sitting awkward and weird-feeling. But Harmonee's pretty mad, and I don't want to risk drawing her ire by disobeying an order, so I saunter over to the far wall of the train, toward the stud-covered beanbag chairs, which look only slightly more comfortable than the firmer stud-covered wooden chairs. The descent into the strange surface is about as awkward as I imagined it would be…

I sink pretty quickly into the chair, but the studs pressing into me make it hard to stay in one position comfortably. As Marie crosses in front of me and pulls her own beanbag chair in beside mine, I'm amused to observer that she seems to be having a more awkward time than I am. Her butt sinks into the chair, but she's too light for the rest of her body to sink in with her, so she's stuck in an odd position that makes it look like that chair is trying to eat her, ass-first.

"Stay put." Harmonee warns again as she stamps over to the automatic door in the rear of the car, which opens obediently for her as she approaches.

When the door closes behind her, there are a few moments of silence. Marie looks over at me and opens her mouth to say something, but before she can, the automatic door on the opposite side of the car, in front of us more or less, opens only slightly. Enough for a familiar face to poke her head out and look around the car. My eyes widen as I recognize her immediately. The ample-chested redhead who kissed me after I almost bumped into her outside my dad's house. The dots start to connect themselves in my head…

The lady's bright green eyes peer over at us and lock immediately onto me. She smiles brightly at me before bringing her head back through the door and closing it again. There are another few moments of silence before the door's automatic function seems to start working fully and opens completely.

The same slim and toned physique and the same healthy bust I saw earlier this morning met my eyes; instead of the exercise wear I saw her in earlier, however, her form was soaking wet and hidden behind a vibrant purple towel. Once again, my mind is confused as to how to feel about this. I have a girlfriend. I don't know this woman. She's hot. Marie's already flirted with me and made me think about things a man in a committed relationship should _not_ be thinking about, and this woman isn't even _trying_ and she's making me think about what Marie had told me…

…_What if you _don't_ get back?_

She doesn't look at me, but I can't help but stare as she briskly strolls past us back to the rear of the car.

…_What if you die?_

I can feel the sweat beading on my forehead as I turn my head and stare at her swaying hips from the back as she continues her casual stride toward the rear car door.

_...You'll have wasted the rest of your life… …instead of indulging in the here and the now…_

I force myself to turn my eyes straight ahead again as she starts to bend forward and scrutinize the panel that seems to control the automatic function of the door. I can't do this to myself… Not when I have what I have waiting for me at home… Coral…

Keeping my eyes straight and trying to focus on the toweled lady as little as possible, it comes as a heavy shock when she suddenly sinks herself into a beanbag chair directly across from me and Marie, with her back to the front of the car. The studs don't seem to bother her nearly as much as they bothered us. There's a quick moment of awkward silence as she quickly scans Marie and slightly more thoroughly scans me.

"Clear!" she chimes, looking behind her at the door she had materialized from. The automatic door opens again and another person comes forth: a tall man with violet highlights in his slick brown hair.

He, too, is sopping wet, but he has a red towel around his waist and lower body. He paces in and sits beside the alluring woman in an adjacent beanbag chair, and then they both proceed to stare at us like hawks. I soon come to recognize the man, as well as the alluring woman, but I don't dare speak up. I'm scared that saying anything might trigger something… There is a full minute of dead space between when they sit and scrutinize us and when someone speaks up.

"Um… Hi..?" Marie says quietly. They're upon her immediately.

"You! Name! Go go go!" the red-haired woman goads quickly, leaning forward and squinting hard at her.

"Name?" Marie gasps, clearly startled. "U-Um…"

"Too slow!" the toweled man chirps, turning to me and squinting hard. "You! Name! Go go go!"

"Er, Agate von Grievous." I say, terribly unnerved… "She's Marie Gold."

"Who are you..?" Marie questioned.

The two crazies both stand at the same time, and I don't know whether to be excited or frightened…

"I'm… _Ruby Jenkins_!" the redheaded leady cheers, striking a suggestive pose.

"And I'm… _Maximillion Thyst_!" her companion seconds, flexing his modest and lissome muscles.

"And we're… _your mentors_!" they both scream in unison, raising their hands in the air. Most of it starts to make sense. I don't know why I didn't recognize Ruby right away at my dad's house… That headache must've been worse than I thought.

"You two!" I hear Harmonee's distant voice shout. I turn to the rear door and breathe a sigh of relief. _She_ can surely save us from these two wackos… The sound of stomping footsteps is followed by the angry ruckus of our escort banging on the door. I'm momentarily confused, since I thought the door was automatic, until I hear what Harmonee says next: "Unlock this right now!"

_That's_ what Ruby went to the rear door… She was locking it to keep Harmonee from interfering with… whatever it is they're going to do to us…

"I remember you, Agate." Ruby's voice says, surprisingly close to my ear. I turn my head and find that Ruby has gotten up from her place on her beanbag, crouching onto her knees in front of my beanbag. Her face is now so close to mine that our noses touch and I can smell the sweet cherry-scented soap on her body…

"You look _just_ like your father, you know?" she whispered to me, looking me over slowly. I notice a slight waver in her gaze as she trains her eyes on the ring on my finger, the ring that used to be on hers... She said nothing about it, though, and just brought her eyes back up to my face. I couldn't turn my eyes away from her, but I was sure that Marie and Thyst were watching. I'm certain this is a test of will… I can't back down, even though I want to pull away so badly…

Several agonizingly awkward moments pass as her dynamic green eyes stare into me… Finally, her lips curl into a smile and she kisses me on the cheek before leaning back and collapsing back into her beanbag chair. "I knew I liked you, Agate. I'm going to be the one to mentor you personally."

"Aw… How come I get the slow one..?" Thyst groans, prodding Ruby on the arm.

"Hey! I'm not slow!" Marie objected. It's Thyst's turn to lunge now sitting on his knees right in front of Marie and looking deep into her terrified eyes with the same dynamic intensity that Ruby was just glowering at me with.

"If a northbound train and a southbound train are equidistant from the Metrorail in District 6, that being 1000 miles, and the northbound train is traveling at an average of 200 miles per hour while the southbound train is traveling at an average of 350 miles per hour, how far from the Metrorail will the point of convergence of the two trains be?" he asks her seriously without stuttering over a single syllable.

I can see it on her face; Marie is absolutely lost. She stares and blinks emptily at Thyst, and he bursts into tears, leaping back to his plush chair and hugging Ruby.

"Pleeeease, can we switch?" he begs wistfully.

"No, I like him!" Ruby asserts firmly and soothingly, rubbing Thyst on the top of his head.

"Thyst, Ruby I swear I'll kill you both if you don't open this door immediately!" Harmonee growls from behind the locked door.

Our two eccentric mentors look at each other and smile. They both stand at the same time again and start for the locked door, flipping the latch and reactivating the automatic function. As it opens, they toss their towels into the air, yelling "Surprise!"

Harmonee shrieks and Marie faints, but I just stare stunned, shivering as I begin to consider what I've gotten myself into…

~Marie's POV~

With a firm tug, I secure the woolen sash that holds my bathrobe to my body and sit on the bed of my assigned living compartment. Small puffs of steam still roll from the open bathroom door, following my recent warm shower. As my absorbent wool slowly dries the water from my body, I cross my arms and lay prone across the bed, thinking about everything that had happened today, subsequent to the Reapings, which I really don't feel like overviewing.

I half-lid my eyes and sigh when I consider for the first time how bold I was in the way I talked to Agate in the car on the way here. After listening to what he had said in the car, I might've given up if I hadn't felt him staring at me not moments after what I told him. Not only that, I saw the way he was looking at the lady Ruby… The wariness mixed with the frustration in his face… He might not have looked so internally uncertain if I hadn't said those things.

I got to him in the car. Thanks to me, Ruby got to him earlier today. And if I strike quickly enough, as in _right_ _now_, I just might be able to push him over the edge and get what I've been wanting since the fifth grade: Agate von Grievous. Eat your heart out, Coral Burke!

Biting my lip, I hastily throw off my bathrobe and start going through the dresser beside my bunk. I'm pleasantly surprised to find a plethora of suitable nightwear for my particular mission. Babydolls, nightgowns, and lacy see-thru camisoles abounded within the full drawers of the beautiful dresser.

I get a little too excited than I should have and pull out a translucent slip gown that looks like it wouldn't cover more than a fourth of my thighs, not that it would matter since it was translucent and hid _nothing_. I almost put it on, but then I stop and really start to think for once…

If I go into his room with this kind of thing on, I could overwhelm him and force him to panic and shut me out completely… Or he could think I was nothing but a desperate and dissolute floozy and throw what I'm doing back in my face and make me look like a bad person! I'm not a bad person! I'm just trying to make the guy I like happy, seeing as he and I might die soon… Nothing wrong with that, is there?

Point is, I don't want him to get the wrong idea… I indignantly stuff the slip back into the drawer and start going through different drawers, looking over my arsenal with more precision and carefulness…

After about a minute of searching, I find a nice opaque set: a silk pink nightshirt that comes down to my naval and a loose-fitting pair of silk shorts that covers about half of my thighs. The set matches the nail polish that paints my fingers and toes. After dressing myself in the nightwear and looking at myself in the mirror, I consider myself both modest and appealing, the perfect combination if I'm going to win Agate.

As I gather up the courage I'm certain I'm going to need in abundance in order to do this, I look out the window at the dusky world as the moon began its rule over the night. I'm not sure what it is, really, but seeing how dark it was getting so quickly gives me just the inner motivation I needed.

'Okay, okay… Let's do this!' I say within myself, sighing a shaky breath as I close the blinds to the compartment window. Silently, my bare feet step toward the door, but before I get close enough, I reach my hand forward and turn off the automatic function of the door before I press myself against it and set my ear to the tepid metal, trying to hear if there's anyone on the other side right now… Nothing now, but there could be soon, so now's as good a time as any…

I open the door enough to quickly scan the hallway before opening it all the way and stepping out. My heart races as I look around for about the third time in the last thirty seconds… The longer I stall, the smaller my window of opportunity is! Sighing shakily again, I turn my eyes to the door right in front of mine, which I'm sure is Agate's. I try to press my ear to the door, only to discover that he hasn't turned off his automatic door like I turned off mine…

With my support literally slid away from in front of me, I teeter forward farther than I should have. With a squeal of surprise, I crash into the floor face-first and tail in the air… Immediately, a deep soreness starts to set into the left side of my face, and all the energy leaves me… I forget almost everything I had planned on doing and just lay there exhausted until a voice rouses my blood pressure again.

"Whoa, Marie?" Agate's voice gasps behind me. I draw in a breath of fresh air and lift my head slightly, just enough to see him at the door, his wide golden eyes staring fixedly at my upturned bottom.

With a burst of energy that surprises even me, I leap to my feet and whirl around to face Agate. It surprises him more. So much that he grabs me tightly by the arm and pushes me further into his room, enough so the auto-door closes and he can reach and turn off its automatic function.

"O-Ow, let go! That hurts!" I try to whisper as loud as I can and shake out of his grip, but he's stronger than I thought. When holding me in place doesn't rein me in, he grabs my other arm and pushes me up against the wall. For being only a year older, he _sure_ is a lot stronger than he looks… If this was the arena and not his living compartment…

I stop fighting him after he pins me to the wall, and for a long moment, the only sound in the room is my panting as he stares coldly into my eyes. I swallow as the energy leaves my body again and I start to blush when I realize that I'm at his mercy… I don't know if he noticed my warming cheeks, but it isn't until I start blushing that he starts speaking.

"Marie, what do you think you were doing with your butt in the air in my room?" he demands.

"It's not what you think, I swear…" I whisper.

"Enlighten me." he growls, his cold glare still burning into me.

"Well…" I start. "I-I was coming in here to see you because I thought we should talk… I was trying to listen to hear if you might've been in here, but your auto-function was still on the door and I fell in and landed on my face."

Agate continues to stare at my face, and even lets go of one of my arms to run his hand over one of my cheeks. I draw in a breath and my blush suddenly gets brighter. He reels his hand in immediately. "Sorry, did that hurt?"

"W-What?" I ask, my eyebrows creasing.

"I was feeling that carpet burn on your cheek. You looked like it hurt you and your face got redder…"

He thinks my blush is a carpet burn… I bring the hand he let go of up to my face and stingingly confirm that there _is_ indeed carpet burn on my face. I'm thankful that it's doing a good enough job of hiding my blush.

"Yeah, it hurts a little…" I sigh. His grip softens on my other arm, but he's not quite ready to let me go yet. Honestly, I don't want him to.

"I was grabbing a drink from the next car over when I heard that thump. What did you want to talk to me about that you had to act like a spy to try and get in my room?" he asks.

"Well…" I start, trailing off slightly. His grip starts to tighten again, speeding up my thought process. "Okay, okay! I was coming to ask what you're decision was! Are you going to keep holding yourself out for Coral?"

He doesn't say anything for a while, and he even starts to scan my attire, trying to keep his face looking as neutral as possible. I don't say anything as he looks at me. I can't risk messing up when he's so close to finally being mine.

"Marie, I'm sorry, but I can't just cheat on Coral. Not even with you." he says finally.

"Well, what's that supposed to mean?" I ask. I was a moment away from giving up until he added that little bit at the end. _Not even with you._

"That means you're a beautiful girl." he admits. I draw in another breath as my heart starts to flutter, the same way it did at the Reapings.

"You really think so?" I ask, blinking skeptically up at him. I can't let him know that he's getting to me… He _can't_ turn this around on me!

"I can't deny that." Agate says, with a nod, letting go of my other arm. "And if I didn't have Coral waiting for me back home, I wouldn't have to keep turning you away like this. But I can't just stain my conscience like that."

"Did she say something to you?" I blurt out suddenly as an idea pops into my head.

"W… What?" Agate murmurs, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"She came to visit you in the Justice Building this morning after you volunteered, right?" I guessed, to which he nodded. "What did she say to you?"

"She…" he starts. He catches his voice in his throat, as if he doesn't want to tell me. Boldly, I try to guess.

"She promised you sex if you won the Games, didn't she?" I know I'm right before he even says anything. I can tell by the way his throat tightens. "_Didn't_ she?"

"Marie, I think you should go." he says, grabbing my arm and starting to pull me toward the door.

"She's trying to control you, Agate! She knows I'm better for you than she is and she's blinding you with those balloons on her chest and keeping you from seeing that!" I say firmly and boldly.

I manage to catch his foot with mine and cause him to stumble. I step in front of him, but this doesn't stop him. He pushes me by the arm up against the door again, still glaring coldly at me. I match his stare right back.

"Be honest, Agate. Has Coral ever acted like that in front of you before? I saw you two at your going-away party last night. She took you into her house, I _saw_ you two. Nothing happened, did it?" I ask him. I never thought I'd dare to cross this threshold, but I can't back down now or I'll have accomplished nothing

"That's _none_ of your business!" he said, raising his voice. I'm getting scared now, but by the way he's reacting and responding, I _must_ be striking some nerves!

"Agate, if she didn't care enough to come onto you while you two were alone in her own house with the whole night ahead of you, what makes you think she'd care the next morning in a tiny room with a chair and armed guards right outside? She's threatened by me and she's twisting you up to get her way!"

"Oh, really? That sounds an awful lot like what _you're_ trying to do right now!" Agate retorts. For a moment, my heart freezes in my chest. This is what I was afraid of. He's trying to make me like the bad person… But I _can't_ back down! Not now!

"Agate, this isn't the same!" I say, my voice trying to lower in order to diffuse him. It doesn't work.

"Why isn't it?" he growls, giving my arm a shake.

"Because _I_ care!" I spout. "I know, I wasn't as sincere as I should've been this morning in the car. I did stupid things to get your attention and it kinda worked. It was wrong, and I'm sorry. But what I did has gotten me this far, to the point where I can tell you that _I_ care about you more than Coral ever will, Agate! She's only thinking about her own happiness. _I'm_ thinking about _yours_!"

Before anything more can be said, the door Agate has me pinned against slides open and with a yelp, we both go tumbling to the ground with him on top of me. There's an awkward moment of stillness before he starts to scramble to his feet and I get up to mine.

"Could you keep it down out here?" Thyst's tired voice yawned. He's got bright violet pajamas on and a purple sleeping mask on his forehead. He rubs one eye while the other peers curiously at the two of us. "Some of us are trying to sleep."

"We're sorry, Thyst." I tell him, walking across from Agate's room back to mine. His golden eyes watch me as I open the door and step in. "It'll be a lot quieter now, we promise."

I close the door and lock it before tiredly dragging myself to my bed. That didn't go as planned in the absolutely slightest… But the end result was better than I could've hoped. I admitted my feelings to him, feelings I was unsure I even had until now… And I think I really started to get through to him, even though he acted a little more aggressive than expected…

It can only go up from here. Coral doesn't deserve someone like Agate, and Agate deserves better than to detain himself for someone like Coral… He deserves real happiness.

With a sigh, I drift on off to a semi-peaceful sleep, noting groggily before passing out that it was getting close to midnight. We've been on the rails for a while… We should be getting to the Capitol soon…

**(A/N: Phew! Quite the improvement from the last, mere three-page tidbit with Agate, Marie, and the mentors, hm? :3 You can expect similar changes in the ensuing chapters! n_n Be a good reader and leave a review for me! Pretty please! Reviews are part of what motivate me to write!**

**Thanks for reading! D2's train ride will be up as soon as possible! Until then, this is SH10, wishing you happy reading!)**


	14. I Can

**(A/N: Welcome back! Here's District Two's train ride chapter, with both Jet and Rhymer's POVs! Completely revamped! n_n R&R, readers, and thank you kindly for both R'ing & R'ing!)**

~Jet's POV~

I almost forgot how hot it was as the Peacekeepers lead me to the door and allow me step back out of the cool and shade of the Justice Building. The midmorning glare is enough to make me have to shield my eyes. As my pupils begin to painfully contract and better accustom themselves to the light, I see that the crowds had been ushered into position with haste. On either end of the marked path leading from the steps of the Justice Building to the opened bay doors of the stationed train, crowds had amassed to watch this year's chosen tributes, me and Rhymer, make District Two's traditional 'Walk of Fame'.

From right to left, Rhymer is standing at the far end of the Justice Building's top step. Alto is beside her. I get into my place beside Alto, and the only one we're waiting on now is Pyra, since Laylark is most likely already in the train. The three of us positioned on the steps wait patiently in place for the second of this year's two mentors, but I couldn't help but wonder where she was.

"Sorry!" her loud voice called as she jogged out of the Justice building with a heavy unmarked bottle of red liquid in her hand. At least it _looked_ heavy. Pyra was hefting the mighty jug with ease. "Sorry, sorry! Was just grabbing refreshments!" she announced as she got into position on my other side.

Pyra turned her head to Terra, who was standing off to one side beside the Justice Building steps. She gave her a nod, and Terra nodded back as she brought her whistle to her lips and blew into the shrill instrument. On cue, trumpets begin blaring, and after five seconds exactly, they all stop for another five seconds before performing Panem's national anthem. This is our cue to start moving, and the audience's cue to start cheering as the proud District Two representatives - again, me and Rhymer - make their way down the path.

Traditionally, the tributes are supposed to remain calm and look only at the train as they make their way down the Walk of Fame. Keeping their eye on the prize, so to speak. Rhymer, however, has either forgotten, is ignorant of, or is ignoring this custom, taking every opportunity to scream out her excitement to the crowd and look around and wave at the people, who gladly wave to her back. She's keeping pace, so I have to give her that, but the way she's behaving unnerves me quite a bit. I've worked myself to the bone, as hard as I possibly could, to get to where I am, and I'm humbled by the Programmers' decision. She doesn't seem humble in the least…

…Does she really deserve to be here? Or… is she just _that _good that she feels she doesn't have to be humble? That she had this on lock? …No. No one's that good. There's one every decade; a Tribute who seems like the right choice at the time but ends up being horrible and going down early in a massive upset. I'm pretty sure Rhymer's that one…

Not even in the arena… Not at the Capitol… I'm not even _in_ the train yet, and in my mind, I think I've already made one enemy in the Games. Not that it matters. She won't last long. And one less tribute that's a threat means only 22 possible enemies. The odds are looking more in my favor already.

When all four of us are in the train, we turn back toward the crowd. _Now_ is an okay time to wave to the audience, since the Walk of Fame is over. I spot my brothers and sister a short ways away in the crowd, and I smile and wave to them. They see me just in time to cheer and wave back before the bay doors close.

"What the hell was _that_, Wellwood?" Pyra growls as soon as the doors were closed and the train started moving. "Do you even know what the Walk of Fame is all about?"

"Do you even know what ADHD is all about?" Rhymer retorts, which I don't see coming at all… The annoyance I feel toward her begins to ebb away.

"Yeah. For _you_, it's a scapegoat for bad behavior!" Pyra throws back, setting her heavy-looking jug on the table. Rhymer shrugs.

"I can't help it sometimes, alright? You can't expect me to fully conform to every strict rule and regimen you throw at me!"

"I don't." Pyra sighs. "I expect you to _try_, though. I've seen what you can do when you focus, Wellwood. What's it going to take to _make_ you listen? To make you _try_ to be the best?"

I'm confused… I would've thought demonstration was a stronger factor when deciding on tributes rather than potential..

"Ugh… Aren't you supposed to be Jet's mentor?" Rhymer groans with a roll of her eyes.

"I don't know. _Am_ I?" Pyra inquires skeptically before turning her perturbed eye upon Alto. "I was unaware that mentors had been assigned already. I thought that was, you know, _my_ job, since I'm kind of the superior Programmer."

I haven't moved from the bay doors yet. I haven't seen any reason to. I've got a full view of the action right where I am, and I don't want to draw away any attention from it by moving or speaking.

"Hey, don't badger Alto!" Rhymer growls, stepping between the two Programmers. "_I_ picked _him_! He didn't pick me! Besides, you were _late_ for the Walk of Fame by about a minute! You've no right to preach to me about doing your best! Get over yourself, would you?"

For a moment, it looks like Pyra would lunge for Rhymer and strangle her, but Alto is quicker, sidestepping past Rhymer and holding Pyra back.

"Hey, hey, hey, Pyra… Can I talk to you in the other car for a minute?" he asks, directing the superior Programmer toward the adjacent car. Pyra grabs her hefty red jug as she disappears through the auto-door into the next car down.

"Yeah… Sorry you had to see that." Rhymer chuckles to me, scratching the back of her head, as if she was embarrassed about what just happened. "Pyra and I have a very… unique relationship."

"Never would've guessed." I say with a smile, sitting in one of the chairs. She seems content to stand.

"I'm Rhymer Wellwood, by the way, in case you might've missed it somehow." she tells me, extending a hand.

"Jet Hapler." I respond, taking her hand and shaking firmly. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." She smiles and nods, almost a completely different person from the raging lunatic I thought I saw no less than thirty seconds ago… Never underestimate ADHD…

"Well, I'm going to go find my room and hop in the shower. No peeking." she sighs, turning and heading to the door opposite the one Pyra and Alto exited from.

"Wouldn't dream of it." I reply coolly, even though I did for a moment or two.

"Oh, please!" Rhymer scoffed, turning her head back to me with an amused grin. "I saw you this morning out of the corner of my eye during that little timing incident with physical inspection. Your nose gushed like a stopped-up faucet."

Damn, she got me… I open my mouth to try and retort, but no words come out… Her grin widens and she steps through the door into the next car up. Smooth, Jet. Smooth.

I heave a sigh and lean back in the chair, staring out the window as District Two zoomed by us at well over 200 miles an hour. I turn my head over to the rear of the car when I hear muffled sounds coming from the door that the two Programmers stepped through a little while ago.

I'm not a snoop, by nature, but I think I hear Rhymer's name being said, and just the idea that th two of them were talking about Rhymer is enough to get me out of my seat and creep silently to the door. I don't even have to get close enough to turn off the auto-function in order to hear pretty clearly what they're saying. I think the last thing said was "Alright, now that you've had your drink, can we talk about Rhymer?", which is what got my attention.

"I _still_ think it was a mistake recommending that little brat. She's got no discipline whatsoever!" Pyra's voice says loud and clear.

"You told me that she was the best in her year and she was just barely trying." Alto responded.

"She's got potential. But we don't select tributes on potential. We select tributes on demonstration. And, apparently, recommendation…"

Wait… Alto recommended me… _and_ Rhymer? How does that work, and why would he do that..? I keep listening, hoping those questions would be answered…

"Why'd you want her to be this year's girl so badly anyhow? It better have been for professional reasons and not personal, or I swear, Alto, I'll-"

"Pyra, relax. I had a reason." Alto responds calmly. "It came to me during that… physical inspection walk-in incident. Every other girl in the room was screaming and going crazy and whatnot, except for Rhymer."

"Yeah, so?" Pyra scoffed, obviously still irked over the whole event. "She has her sober moments."

"She was looking at me. Completely and entirely focused on me." Alto explains. I'm more confused than ever now…

"What are you trying to say, kid? You think you have some kind of control over her or something?" Pyra suggests.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Alto answers quickly. I almost gasp. Whatever he's talking about, it sounds sinister, or at the very least, fairly malicious. "I bet I can persuade her to behave herself. Not only that, I can probably get her to quit holding back what she can really do."

"Oh yeah?" Pyra growls, the skeptical edge still evident in her voice. "How?"

"Leave that to me. Just trust me, Pyra. I can straighten her out."

I don't like the way he said that last part… I back away from the door, still trying to make sense of what I just overhead. With a shake of my head, I decide to head to my compartment on the train. It won't take long at all for us to get to the Capitol, since District Two is closest. Might as well give myself as much rest as I can before then.

~Rhymer's POV~

"Uuuuuuuuuuuugh…"

I groan puerilely and clutch my stomach as I pace around the room after putting on my flower dress again. I can't deny it anymore. I'm _hungry_. Normally, I'd have no qualms with stuffing my face with whatever was available, but Terra told the female class about a week before the Reapings that it's best to keep an empty stomach until after the opening ceremony with all the chariots and trumpets and junk… Which means ignoring the meal we get on the train…

The kicker, though, is that she implied that we'd be throwing up at some point beforehand… I _hate_ the feeling of throwing up, and throwing up after a meal is even _worse_! That's the only thing keeping me from indulging in the delicious food that I'm almost positive I can smell from here!

I lean up against the wall and wring my fingers through my hair. Ugh… Maybe just a little food. A roll or something, I don't know. Just _something_!

With a sigh of defeat, I unknot my hands from my mane and stamp toward the door, stepping through as it opens for me automatically and starting down the hall toward the dining car.

"I've got to say, I'm disappointed in you, Rhymer." a familiar voice stops me. I gasp and turn to see Alto, who was leaning beside my doorframe… D-Did he hear my moaning and groaning? What did he think I was doing in there?

"W… What?" I ask him, turning my back to the dining car to face him.

"You heard me." he threw back, his lovely blue eyes now unnervingly chilling as they look me over.

"Y-Yeah… Why are you disappointed? What did I do?" I inquire. My brows start to crease. What _did_ I do?

"You acted pretty childish earlier." he said, pushing himself from the wall and standing straight up. "Towards Pyra, that is. Why is that?"

"It's complicated." I answer, scratching my head. I'm… a bit confused. He was all nice and flirty earlier. Suddenly he's acting like… a mentor.

"That's not an answer, Rhymer." he sighs, never taking his eyes off me.

"Look, it doesn't matter, does it?" I blurt brashly, something I do when I'm being pressured like this… I lose my bearings for a moment before flipping the switch from defensive to flirty. "I don't have to worry about Pyra. I have to worry about _you_."

Rolls don't sound that good anymore. I'm craving _Alto_ all of a sudden, I realize as I start toward him. He doesn't budge… He keeps looking at me sternly, and it's… really unnerving. What happened to him digging me earlier? I slow to a timid and awkward stop before I've closed much distance between us."

"I don't know, Rhymer." he sighs with a shrug. "I had thought that you were a lot more mature than you showed me. I thought you were a woman, not a little girl."

I start to shrug away… "But…"

"I don't mentor little girls, Rhymer. Jet's shown a lot more maturity than you have. He listens to direction. He tries his best. He respects his superiors. Maybe I should mentor him inst-"

"No!" I screech before he finishes. Adrenaline surges through me and I sprint up to him full speed, throwing my arms around him in a panic. He stumbles backwards slightly. "I can, Alto! I can! I can listen to direction! I can try my best! I can respect Pyra! I can!"

It takes less than a second for him to break my bear hug and grab one of my arms. He pushes me up against the wall until I stop squirming. I look into his hard cold eyes, which look unflinchingly back into mine, and a shiver runs up my spine. Slowly, his frown flips into a cool smirk. One of his hands rises and squishes my cheeks together, forcing me to pucker my lips.

"Can you?" he asks me lowly.

"Mm hm." I muffle, unable to speak coherently with the way he has my face in his grip.

He brings his head close to my face, and for a moment, I think he's going to kiss me, but his lips change direction nanometers from mine and come to my ears to whisper icily, "Show me."

His grip on my arm is rough and cold, but the longer he holds me like this, breath tickling my ear and broad chest pressed to mine, the more I start to pant from the heat that's rising in my own chest. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, he lets me go and backs away, watching as my legs give out from under me and I slump to my butt on the floor, still panting.

Alto shoots me a wink before he sticks his hands into his pockets and strides casually to the next car down. Suddenly, I'm not that hungry for anything anymore…

**(A/N: There you go! District Two's train ride chapter! What a chapter it was, hm? :3 Please leave your honest reviews! How am I doing so far, and can I do anything to make it better? My inner author lives and breathes for you guys! n_n**

**District Three will be up soon! That one's going to be a bit harder to pull off since there's a lot more to change, but bear with me!**

**Until then, this is SH10, wishing you happy reading! d-(n_n)z**

**Seeya!)**


	15. Worth Fighting For

~Trexler's POV~

It's incomprehensible… Unethical. Illogical. Terrible. I can think of about 17 more words that end with the 'ul' sound that describe this situation I'm in, 'indescribable' being one of them. I have no idea where to look, because I don't want to look anywhere. Outside the window are smoky, smoldering husks of buildings in an entire borough that had been leveled in the hail of missiles and fire from the giant overhead armed hovercraft, still looming in the air as a reminder of who has all the power. In front of me, driving the automobile, is Chief F.E. Brigand, the commander of all of President Centari's Peacekeepers. Beside him, looking around with interest at the carnage, is the man himself who orchestrated the destruction he's now observing: Phoenix Centari…

The only real place I can look without wanting to throw up is right beside me, at Tixxie, who had long since cried herself to sleep and is resting against my arm. I don't dare move… Saying 'no' to her is one thing. Waking her up when she's sleeping? I'd be dead long before I set foot in the arena… Not that I'm complaining about her resting on me, really. It's actually kinda nice. In an… odd sort of way.

"You kids still awake back there?" President Centari asks, peering behind his seat at us. "I apologize that it's taking so long to get to the train station. The Chief here is surveying the damage. It won't be too much longer, will it, Chief?"

"No, sir." Chief Brigand confirms gruffly. This is the last borough I'm assessing. Train station's right up the street."

I turn my head back to the window, and I my heart freezes as we roll past my neighborhood. My house only has some cosmetic damage. Soot on the walls, all the windows broken. Delmond's house, right next door, is completely obliterated… Nothing but a pile of ash, brittle and blackened bricks, and the skeleton of what I think is a television set. A giant pillar of smoke backdrops the grim scene, and judging from the distance away from the neighborhood, I'm pretty sure the school got hit. A morbidly amusing thought.

It's not long at all before the car comes to a stop right in front of the station, where the cold silver train waits.

"Tixxie. Tixxie, wake up." I murmur to her, pushing her up off of my arm. Her greyish eyes flutter open and glare with powerful irritation at me. "Don't hit me; we're at the train station. It's time to get out."

"Whatever." Tixxie growled, pushing me away as she turned and climbed out of her side of the car. I lug myself out from my side with a sigh and join Tixxie, President Centari, and Chief Brigand as they stroll casually up to the undamaged train station.

"Got everything under control here, Chief?" the President asks as they two of them stop. Centari waves us off to keep going, and we're happy to oblige. Every second we can be away from him is a good one.

As the two adults stop to talk, Tixxie storms ahead and into the train. I don't think I've ever seen her this upset before and rightfully so… I stall for a moment before following her inside the train, which is much more warm and inviting than the outside. At the same time, though, it's _just_ as chilling and creepy as the outside of it. Not only is the train eerily silent - Tixxie probably went into another car -, but right outside, my District is on complete and total lockdown, while the inside invites you to indulge in gourmet food and leisure.

Brrh… I feel a chill as I take a step forward, then freeze in place as a voice meets my ears.

"H-Have the bombs stopped?"

I turn around quickly and see a woman huddled up against the wall right beside the bay doors that I entered through. She timidly adjusted her square-shaped specs as she looked up at me.

"I… I asked the angry little girl the same thing when she came in, but she ignored me. When the blasts start, Manx fled down-car." the woman continued. "I-I'm Corla."

"Trexler." I greet with an awkward nod. "And yeah, the bombs have stopped. Are you-"

All of a sudden, there's a far-off explosion. I jump, but not because of the sound of the boom, but rather the sound of Corla screaming.

"Liar! _Liar!_" she yells, clamping her hands over her ears and glaring at me.

"I'm sorry!" I say quickly. "I didn't know, I swear! Besides, that probably wasn't a bomb. It's more likely that a house's gas heater exploding or something."

This seems to relax her a little bit, so I scratch the back of my head and try to ask my question again. "Are you one of the two Victors mentoring me and the angry little girl?"

Corla nods. "Yeah, I'm Corla. What's your name?"

"Um… Trexler." I say again, furling my eyebrows. I told her my name already, fifteen seconds ago. I wonder how badly her Games messed her up…

"Nice to meet you, Trexler. I'm Corla." the woman says as she stands to her feet. Amazingly, she goes to lengths to look even more despondent while standing than she did curled up against the wall. She puts the hood of her worn brown jacket over her messy brunette hair and unfolds the collar of her burgundy turtleneck. Her glum ensemble is completed with dark blue baggy pant and grey dress slippers which I didn't notice before… Seeing and hearing the state her mind's in, it's not as hard to believe as you might think that she dressed herself this morning…

"Did you see where Tixxie went?" I ask her, feeling more and more awkward by the second.

"Who?" Corla inquires, furling her eyebrow and leaning her head to one side.

"Little angry girl."

"Oh, her… She went up-car." Corla sighs, pointing to the door that led up closer to the engine.

I nod my thanks and start heading for the door she pointed out when she suddenly grabs my arm.

"Wait… I don't want to be left alone again…" she whimpers. Man, her Games must've _really_ messed her up…

"Um…. Why don't you go find Manx and tell him that the bombs stopped? You said he went down-car, didn't you?"

Corla nodded quickly and let go of my, scampering down toward the rear of the car without another word. I stare after her for a moment or two before shaking my head and walking up-car.

I must've entered the sleeping car. There are six rooms, three on either side. The closest door on the left is silent ajar, so I predict Tixxie must be in that one. A quick peek inside confirms it. The little blonde is sitting still on the bed with her legs tucked in and her head resting between her knees. Slowly and carefully, I push my way inside, so I don't surprise her.

"Tixxie? You alright?"

~Tixxie's POV~

"Go away, Trexler…" I growl as soon as I hear his voice. He's the _last_ thing I want to hear right now… All I want to do, really, is sleep. Practice for when I'm sleeping permanently in the Games a week or so from now.

"I just wanted to check on you." he continues, only adding to my already-stately degree of annoyance and anger.

"I'm _fine_, Trexler! Leave me alone!" I snap, lifting my head and giving him my signature glower. …This is usually enough to get him to wet his pants and flee in terror, but not this time. Seems he's grown a spine in the past hour or so.

"Look, Tixxie, I know you're really upset right, but if you want to win these Games, you-"

"Don't preach your sage words to me, Trexler!" I interrupt, climbing from the bed and getting down to my feet. I'm no taller than I would've been if I'd stayed on the bed, I note with a spark of depression. "I don't _want_ to win this sick Quarter Quell! Why would I?"

"Well, because the Hunger Games are kill-or-be-killed, and self-preservation is purely instinctive in sane humans with an IC of over 70. Your IQ is well over 200. You can't help not wanting to die, so you can't help not wanting to win the Hunger Games. It's simple logic." he explains.

I want _so_ badly to kick him in the kneecap again, but I restrain myself… "Let me rephrase what I said, then. "I don't _want_ to come back to this stupid District! Why would I?"

"…Because it's home, and humans and animals have a natural inclination to return to where they originated after having left for a given amount of t-"

"Goddamnit, Trexler!" I scream in frustration, turning and kicking the bedframe as hard as I can. It hurts like hell, but I don't dare flinch. "Look outside! Out that window, Trexler! My 'home' is going up in smoke, and my aunt and uncle and your parents had a hand in it! In _ruining_ this District and ending innocent lives, for what? For _WHAT_? Damn you to hell, Trexler, _WHY_ aren't you angry?"

"I _AM_ angry!" he screams back to me, stunning me into silence. Never in our friendship - or whatever you can call this unique relationship Trex and I have… - have I ever heard him yell at me like that in anything other than pain or fear. Hearing him when he's mad is groundbreaking. "Tix, I can't _tell_ you how angry I am that my home almost got blown to pieces. That Delmond's home _DID_ get blown to pieces! That I had to save you from almost dying in my arms, which you still haven't really thanked me for, by the way. That now you and I are hanging out with the evil President of Panem for the day! That within a week from now, we're being thrown into a video game for the amusement of other people that are _JUST_ as sick and evil as he is! And it's unfair, I know! It's our folks' fault, not ours!"

He's panting now, more angry than I've ever seen anyone for a long time. After a moment, he begins to cough and quickly takes his paper bag out of his pocket. He's calm again after a second or two, then he continues.

"It's unfair. It is." he says. "But I, for one, am not going to let that anger that you just saw rule what's left of my life. Neither should you, Tixxie. You're not some angry little girl. You're smarter than that."

"We have every right to be angry at everything right now. But there's a proverb that we learned in Expanding Horizons last night that's stuck with me. 'Ask not why we fight. Rather, ask what's worth fighting for.' Well, Trexler? What do I have left that's worth fighting for?"

I point at the window again and invite him to stare at the carnage along with me. He doesn't. His hand reaches toward me and touches the key that's around my neck. "This." he says.

Trine's key… Trine comes to mind immediately, and I almost think he has a point, until I remember the look of pure hopelessness on her face.

"Trine doesn't believe in me…" I sigh, sitting on the bed again. "My own twin sister doesn't have faith that I can win the Hunger Games. Why should I have faith in myself?"

"Because competition is another human instinct." Trexler answers. I'm having a hard time understanding…

"What?" I inquire, wanting him to elaborate.

"All your life, Tix, you've been trying to prove your twin sister wrong. She told you that you could never get into senior AP classes as a sophomore. You proved her wrong. She thought you couldn't spell that weird lung disease with 55 letters."

"And I couldn't." I point out.

"Doesn't matter. You _tried_ to prove her wrong." he throws back. "She now thinks that you can't win the Hunger Games."

Trexler takes a step toward me and puts his hand on my shoulder. "Prove. Her. Wrong."

With that, he turns and starts to walk slowly to my door again, but something's bugging me.

"Wait," I call, which makes him stop. "You want me to win? What about you? Don't you?"

"Like I said, Tix, self-preservation is a natural instinct." he says, turning his head back to me. "But let's just say that if it came down to just th two of us, you'd have an easier time killing me rather than vice versa."

He doesn't say any more and steps out of the room, closing the door behind him.

I get back into the position I was in before he arrived, leg tucked in, head between my knees. But instead of bottling anger, I'm now thinking deeply about what he's just told me… I look up for a moment to see that the giant storm cloud of smoke had disappeared from the sky and is now just blue over trees. We must be leaving District Three now and are officially on our way to the Capitol. They're probably eating something right about now, Trex, the President, and whoever the two mentors are, which I'm guessing will be Corla and Manx, since they're the two most recent. I don't feel like eating…

Honestly, I don't know what I feel right now, besides a whole lot better. I haven't known what to feel since Trexler shocked me with his burst of anger… He's right about a lot of things he said, though. He even gave me a legitimate reason for why I should try and win this… Should I?

**(A/N: There you go! This would've been posted yesterday, but my computer crashed and wiped my progress. :( Better late than never!**

**District Four didn't need much changing, so I'm not sure of how much I'm going to need to adjust the next few chapters, not to mention I start school again tomorrow, so there's that…**

**I'll update as soon as I can, Hungry Gamers! Bear with me!**

**Until then, this is SH10, wishing you happy reading!)**


	16. Rain on a Window

**(A/N: District Four train ride coming at you! I was wondering how I might make this chapter better, and I went back to the D4 Reapings, and it hit me! Again! n_n So, say hello once again, to Suzanne Collin's own Annie Cresta! :D)**

~Annie's POV~

_105 years before…_

There's nothing in this world that I find more distracting and utterly fascinating than rain on a window. Absolutely nothing else can hold my attention when I'm watching the various speeds and patterns of the descending globs of water as they grow ever-larger and faster, collecting other droplets and leaving wondrous streaks that distort my vision. My mom has to close the blinds in order to talk to me on a rainy day, and even then, just the sound of rain satiates me greatly, and I only hear about every fourth word…

My reverie is disrupted by a hand waving in front of my eyes. I shrink back slightly and blink rapidly at the surprising gesture.

"Aaaaaaaannieeeeeee!" comes the obnoxious groan of my District's male tribute and one of _my_ greatest rivals, Kanneu Rookard. I laugh and push him away.

"What do you want, Rook?" I demand, turning away from the window for a moment to entertain the foolishness that's sure to come out of his mouth.

"I was trying to ask you what your token was. You still look as wallflowery as yesterday." Kanneu observes. I roll my eyes and lift the tuft of hair covering my ear, showing Kanneu the stud earring my mom gave me. A large octagonal emerald was set in the center, shimmering beautifully.

"Meh." Kanneu says with a shrug and a smile, knowing that it would annoy me.

"Oh, yeah? What's _your_ token?"

"Take a guess." Rook chuckles as he takes an antiquated black rook chesspiece out of his pocket.

I roll my eyes again and turn back to the window. A train window. Yep. Me and Kanneu are on the train and on our way to the Capitol for the 70th Hunger Games. I'm lucky I was able to beat the crowd that had swarmed the stage for the female spot… There usually aren't 10-15 people fighting for a spot, but there were today. Sheesh. Kanneu had a tough time getting up to his spot, too, but he didn't have it nearly as tough as I did.

The female Tribute spot didn't become so coveted until the 66th Hunger Games, the first Games in which Finnick Odair began mentoring. And now that I've made the connection, I find it a lot easier to believe why it was so hard for me to secure my place as tribute… Finnick Odair is a god among Victors. Well, at least to everyone else. I honestly don't see what's so great about him. Nevertheless, every year since his outstanding victory at the age of fourteen, everyone has been going goo-goo gah-gah over him for whatever reason.

Right now, he's in the adjacent car down, conversing with Doris, a raven-haired woman in her thirties. I assume they're conversing in there. Doris is a big fan of Finnick as well, so it's not hard to imagine a lot more than talking going on in the next car over.

A chill runs up my spine and I stand, tearing my eyes away from the rain-streaked window and heading up-car. "I'm going to go take a shower." I declare. I don't know why I say this. I know for sure that Kanneu is going to have something witty to say.

"You beat me to it, Cresta. I was just about to suggest you go bathe. You smell like a trench!" he chuckles.

"Bah, go to hell, Rook!" I sneer in response, sticking my tongue out. Heh. Maybe I like hearing what he has to say. Even though it's teasing, it makes me laugh most times. Kanneu's really good-natured.

It's a matter of a minute before I've entered the living compartment I'm going to be staying in temporarily, undressed, and stepped into the bathroom.

'Finnick Odair… Feh.' I think with a mental roll of my eyes as I look around for a button to turn this frustratingly innovative shower on… I decide to try the button shaped like a raindrop, and sure enough, a chilly hell is deposited right on my head and the yelp of surprise escapes me before I can stop it.

~Bronwyn's POV~

"Yaah!" I squeak, jumping in shock as the ice-cold water needles my skin and causes my muscles to start to tremble uncontrollably as my muscles constrict in intense and brief waves to generate heat. I quickly look around for something to end this torment and find the temperature control behind me, lowered all the way to the base… I quickly mash the plus button and watch as the bars of light climb. I stop when it's about halfway to the top and the shivering stops as well. Phew…

It's not an easy task scrubbing the sticky saltwater off my body, despite the endless amounts of neat features that are installed into the showers on the train. Foam, heavy beads of water for massage, a radial spray that soaks every inch of my body _extremely_ thoroughly… Geez… I live in District Four; water is the last thing I would've thought I'd be overwhelmed by.

Eventually, though, I do manage to discover a setting that I find comfortable: warm and steamy. I close my eyes and breath out, letting the moist air clear and clean my nasals and my throat. I slowly lift my chin, turning my face to the ceiling and letting my damp bronze hair cling to my back as the warm and tingling droplets strike my skin. By far, this is the best shower I've ever taken in my life…

I don't even know how long I spend bathing, but by the time I step out, towel off, and step back out into my compartment, I can see that the rain has stopped. I can also tell that we've entered another District. Our stately-ish wooden edifices have been replaced by dark overhead clouds and snow that was dyed an odd and chilling black… I'm pretty sure we're passing through District Eight now.

I shiver and turn away from my window. On my bed are my wrinkled, briny clothes that I wore this morning. I had been standing in that torrent for so long that I got soaked straight through my underwear. No putting those back on… Since I'm already relaxed and it's already starting to look dark, I instinctively move to start rummaging through the drawer filled with pajamas of varying degrees of… promiscuity.

I dig through several babydolls, nightgowns, and lacy see-thru camisoles until I come across something that's actually appropriate: a set of green flannel jammies. After changing from my towel to the comfortable knits, I step out into the train car again, going through the auto-door to the dining car.

Besides Genevieve, who is reading under lamplight near the rear of the car, everyone is on the couch, focused on the Reaping recaps. My mentor, Thetis, is the only one who initially turns to me. She smiles and gives a small chuckle. "Well, Bronwyn, you've certainly made yourself comfortable, haven't you?"

Nere, who's Hunter's specific mentor, turns to look at me for a brief moment with his bluish eagle eyes before looking back at the Reapings. Hunter doesn't even look up. I'm almost glad he didn't; I'm sure I would've embarrassed myself again by blushing… As I walk up to join the others on the couch, I can just feel my chest getting warmer and warmer, and I think I'm sweating a little by the time I've situated myself between Thetis and Hunter.

"You were in there for over thirty minutes." Hunter points out, again without turning to me, and again to which I am thankful for, because I really _do_ start blushing now. "Have fun?"

"U-Um…" I stutter, running my fingers across the blemish on my arm. "Yeah, I suppose… The shower has a _lot_ of features."

"Hmph." Hunter huffed briskly. As I look over at Hunter, I see he's changed clothes, too. Long khaki pants and a short sleeved green shirt. Green's a theme for District Four, I suppose.

"How much did I miss?" I ask, turning to the TV.

"We're on District Ten now." Nere tells me. Gee, I missed a lot…

As I watch the Reaping and examine its two tributes, a small girl who looks to be addicting to morphling and a colossus of a boy with short black hair and rippling muscles, I'm taken completely by surprise as the boy completely smashes the little twelve-year-old's spindly hand in his massive grip. The girl, Aylau, screams and faints from the pain, and Kyrain, the enraged male tribute has to be taken to the ground by three Peacekeepers and restrained. The flustered escort quickly mutters, "Happy Hunger Games!" before scampering over to check on Aylau, who's hand definitely appears broken…

"What a beast…" Thetis sighs, running a concerned hand through her greying brunette hair. "Watch out for him, for sure."

"The Careers must be watching this. Do you think they'll want him in with them?" Hunter questions, raising his eyebrows.

"It could go either way. If they're impressed, they'll want him in. If they're scared of him, they'll kill him off without question." Nere grunts. "The Kyrain bloke seems to be the Tribute to watch this year."

"That's it, then. If I get the opportunity, I'm taking him down at the bloodbath." Hunter declares.

"_We're_ taking him down?" I correct, blinking at him. "W-We are… allies, right?"

"Are you planning on buddying with the Careers?" Hunter asks, turning to me for the first time. His cold green eyes look me right in the face, and I have to keep from shivering again underneath it…

"Um… W-Well… I-I was maybe thinking of…"

This is enough of an answer for him… Hunter stands from the couch and walks toward the compartment car without another word. I stare after him, my mouth still half-open and by expression cracked with distraught. When the door closes behind him, my head drops into my hands, completely downcast. I feel Thetis start to rub my back soothingly.

"Bronwyn, don't take that personally, please don't. Hunter told us earlier that he had no intentions of being a Career, and-"

"How do I _not_ take that personally?" I ask her. "He basically just told me that we're e-enemies!"

I used to be looking somewhat forward to the Games, I suppose… But now that Hunter's silently declared his opposition of me joining the Careers… I feel like my world is starting to cave in around me, constricting me, keeping me from breathing… The one boy in the world besides my father who I admire and idolize is probably in his room right now, reflecting on how much he now hates my stupid guts!

"Bronwyn, take a moment to consider how Hunter must feel." Nere said to me. I start to look up and see that my supple hands are stained with tears. I look to Nere, and his expression has softened slightly. "Switch roles for a second. How would you feel if Hunter wanted to join the Careers and you didn't?"

"A-Angry… Downcast… Hurt." are the immediate words that come to mind. Nere nods.

"Mm hm. And how do you suppose Hunter feels right now?"

"That's different." I say, shaking my head. "I like Hunter. Hunter doesn't like anybody. He's not upset; he's t-turning his back on me…"

My head falls into my hands again, and Thetis starts to rub my back once more.

"You must know Hunter so well, hm?" Nere said, and I can tell by the way he says it that he's shaking his head.

"I know enough. Hunter's the coolest boy in District Four, and everybody knows it." I tell him without lifting my head.

"But not many people know _him_. Hunter told us a little about himself while you were in the shower. Did you know that he used to be as rich as you are?"

No, I didn't. I didn't answer, though. I just looked up at Nere. He continued, "Did you know that his mother left him and his father and took all her money with her, leaving them without a cent? Did you know that Hunter recently got taken away from a cancerous father that only survived until this point _because_ of Hunter and his fishing?"

No, I didn't. I sit there stunned as Nere tells me more about Hunter than I ever knew… I-I knew he lived in a shack by the seaside and that he was incredibly cute… But it starts to dawn on me, that's about _all_ I knew.

"Bronwyn, Hunter has been virtually alone for most of his life. And guess what? He just now found out that he's going to be alone some more. _Now_ can you imagine how he must feel?"

I'm gaping like a fish again… I never saw Hunter in this light before, but now that I do… I feel worse than I did before I knew…

**(A/N: There you go, the second of four train ride chapters! I know, Hunter didn't have a POV in this, but I couldn't think of anything that I could add that would make this chapter seem more complete, if that makes sense. I'll make up to it in the next chapter, which will be a special one! Next chapter, we're going to go back in time! Again! :D**

**In your review, should you be courteous enough to leave me one, tell me which two mentors whose Reapings you would like to see, among the ones which we've already been introduced to. That's Thyst, Ruby, Pyra, Alto, Corla, Nere, and Thetis to choose from. If you're not inclined to review, your alternative would be to go to my profile page and put it to a vote. The poll will be open until Saturday morning, in which I will tally the votes based on said poll combined with the reviews I get concerning it (yes, you can do both for bonus points. n_n).**

**On a separate note, TeamAvatar and I have been discussing the story again now that I've resurrected. And guess what? We've got the entire thing planned out: who's going to die in what stage of the Games, how they'll die, and yes, we know who the winner of the 175****th**** Annual Hunger Games will be. Well… We know who the **_**technical**_** winner will be. Interpret that however you wish. ;3**

**I've done the liberty of scouring Youtube for songs that would fit each stages of the Games, and lo and behold, I found five perfect songs for the five stages of the Games!**

**Level 1 - Thnks fr th Mmrs by Fall Out Boy**

**Level 2 - Tetris by 2pm**

**Level 3 - Knights of Cydonia (Dubstep remix) by Muse and remixed by Nostalgia**

**Level 4 - Guardian Angel by Tyler James Williams and Coco Jones**

**Final Level - Solaris Phase 2 by SEGA and Sonic Team (This is the final boss music for the game it belongs too. Fitting, hm? :3)**

**For those of you who have read the previous rendition of this story, you have a good idea of what Levels 1 and 2 are, so you'll find that the songs are indeed quite fitting. But levels 3 through 5 are completely unseen by any eyes except my mind's. Listen to them, and squirm with anticipation of what those stages could look like. ;D**

**Well, this A/N has gone on for too long. Time for me to wait for poll votes and reviews! Until then, this is SH10, wishing you happy reading and writhing anticipation!)**


	17. Firebrand

~Choux's POV~

What the Capitol lacks in proper staff, it makes up for in great eats, I think as I dig into a plate of mixed vegetables and roast beef. I look up for a second to see that Ratchet, the female Victor blessed with the honor of mentoring me, and Gemina, our bumbling and clueless escort, are regarding me with disgust.

"Hey, I apologize that I'm hungry." I say with a sarcastic roll of my eyes. "I can't help it that you toothpicks like to take your time and cut your meals into fun little squares, or however you manage to feed yourselves, if you even do, Gemina."

The young klutz looks offended, so of course I have to continue. "I mean, geez, can you not navigate the fork to your mouth, or are you just on a diet of air?"

Her puffy little cheeks expand as she stands from the table. "You're a very, very rude little boy!" she huffs.

"Thanks, your opinion means so much to me." I croon, giving her a wink. "Now run along and reapply your makeup, because your frown lines are showing."

Gemina gasps and glowers at me, sending quite the chill down my terrified spine! Please… I laugh as she wobbles on her high heels toward the auto-door into the next car down.

"Ugh, really? Who has frown lines at her age?" I toss out there as the silence starts to mount again. "Is she 19 or 91, am I right?"

No one laughs. Apparently, these goobers have never heard a joke before in their lives… "Yeesh, quiet down, guys, you're smothering me." I sneer sarcastically again.

"I'm eating in my room." Meaghen suddenly asserts, taking her plate and walking off. Ratchet and Helox, Meaghen's mentor, follow suit, leaving me alone at the table, just how I like it. I'd rather have no one beside me than a bunch of buzzkill scabs… Ugh, I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm starting to miss my posse…

I lean back in my seat and stare out the window beside me, watching the dark world roll on by. The Games had better get ready; their star Tribute is on the way.

~Meaghen's POV~

I step crossly into my living compartment and lock the door, collapsing onto the bed and sighing. Why'd it have to be Choux I go through this with? It's not enough that I've been taken away from my mom and sister right after we found out my mom was alive, I have to endure this in _his_ company. Ugh!

I turn solemnly to my half-eaten plate, and am about to continue eating, when Gemina bursts into the room.

"Meaghen! Come, come, come!" she says quickly. "Fast! Come to the lounge car! The TVs are working again, and they're about to announce the winners of the mentor contest!"

"What?" I ask, flabbergasted. How are the TVs working? Didn't Radio Tower 2 get demolished? It _did_ get demolished! I _saw_ it get demolished! What the heck is going on?

"I know, it's exciting, isn't it? Come quick!" Gemina says, rushing into my room and grabbing my arm. She pulls me down the length of the sleeping car and into the dining car. Gemina sticks her tongue out at Choux as we pass the empty table with just him, then we go down-car again, into the lounge car, it looks like. To my dismay, Gemina is right, and the television is operational…

She turns and locks the door behind her and sits me down in front of it and then squeezes between Ratchet and Helox. I note with a smile that we're excluding Choux from this event, whatever it is. That makes me feel a little better.

On the screen now is none other than Copper Keel, Caesar Flickerman's prodigal apprentice that rose to the challenge of filling his shoes after Flickerman suffered a stroke. His vibrant brown hair was cut short and styled elegantly. Contrasting from his teacher, who changed the color and style of his hair every year, Copper has done well of keeping his hair in the same condition every year. Stepping outside the box, perhaps?

Copper is sitting at a desk beside the current Head Gamemaker, Sparrow, who adjusts her glasses before speaking into the camera.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our first nationwide broadcast since this morning, when a tragic incident that occurred in District Five left its famed Radio Tower 2 unable to broadcast. Fortunately, the Capitol's own Radio Tower had its restrictions disabled and is now broadcasting all over Panem rather than just in the Capitol."

My face goes chalky. That's why they weren't concerned about the Reapings. They had a back-up Radio Tower, and worse yet, one that's virtually untouchable…

"If you all remember, this past Thursday evening, we encouraged you, the viewers, to vote on which two of this year's roster of mentors you'd like to get a sneak peek of in anticipation for this year's Quell Tribute to the Mentors. The votes have been cast, and we are proud to announce that the first and second place winners, with 4145 and 3970 votes respectively, are…"

Sparrow looks down at the paper in her hands and for the longest moment ever, there's nothing but silence. I'm surprised to find that even I'm biting my lip in anticipation. Gemina looks like sh might explode if the winners aren't announced right this moment.

"…Ruby Jenkins and Pyra Johansenn!" Sparrow finally announced, turning her paper around to show that the two mentors' faces were on it. There was a brief fanfare, followed immediately by the sound of Gemina screaming as loudly and as shrilly as she can.

"Yes, yes, YES! I was hoping they'd win! I love Pyra and Ruby!"

"What is going on in there?" Choux's voice called as he tried to open the door. "Hey! Why is this locked? You think you can keep me out with this? You're sadly mistaken! I will break this door down if you don't open it right now!" His 'threat' is met with silence. "You asked for it!"

Moments later, there's the sound of a soft thump, followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor. We assume he knocked himself out and lose interest, turning back to the television.

"Last year, we interviewed all of the mentors that will be featured in the special a few days from now. Seeing as Pyra made second place, we shall show you a sneak peek of her interview first of all. Here you go!"

The screen goes black for a few moments, then intense music begins to play. Pyra as she looks now appears on the screen, crossing her arms confidently. Rugged fiery red hair, toughly muscled brown skin, and vibrant red eyes, which I suspect are contacts. There's a backdrop of a raging fire behind her, which persists for a few moments before extinguishing to reveal giant metal words that were glowing orange with heat that read:

PYRA JOHANSENN

DISTRICT TWO

The screen then dissolves into many brief three-second clips of Pyra during various parts of her Games, which confirms my suspicions that her red eyes are contacts. Several times during close-up shots, I see that her eyes are brown instead of red. Besides chest size, height, and the obvious addition of contacts, Pyra barely looks different during her Games than she does now.

The last clip is of Pyra standing on her platform three seconds before the start of her Games. 3… 2… 1… I see Pyra lunge forward off her platform halfway through 1, but just as it gets to zero, the screen cuts to black again with a crash of thunder.

Gemina applauds, and then there is another few moments of silence before the screen fades into footage from last year's mentor interviews. The crowd is applauding wildly as District One's Maximillion Thyst leaves the stage with a wave. Copper begins speaking after everyone has died down.

"District One, everyone! Let's give our colorful District One mentors another round of applause!" The crowd starts to roar again for a few more moments. "Now let's take a look at the next District down! Boasting the largest roster of Victors by a large margin, we bring you District Two! And representing proud, stalwart District Two is the one and only Firebrand herself, the Victor of the 154th Annual Hunger Games, Ms. Pyra Johansenn!"

The crowd roars again as fanfare and bright red lights announce Pyra's coming up to the stage. When I first see her, I'm stunned… Her usually messy and poufy hair is smooth and stylized, and she's wearing an intricate and elegant red and purple dress. The confident smile is still painted on her face as she sits and shakes Copper's hand.

"So good to see you, Pyra!" Copper said. "This is my very first time interviewing you, I realize. The last time you were on this stage was with _my_ mentor, Mr. Flickerman, correct?"

"Correct, indeed." Pyra declares calmly with a nod.

"New experience for the both of us, then! How'd you earn your nickname, Firebrand?"

"It's mainly because of the circumstances of my Reapings, actually, but I've found my own meaning to my nickname. As many know, my greatest inspiration since my Games, and even now, is the Girl on Fire herself, Katniss Everdeen." Pyra declared with a nod. The crowd is hushed as she speaks, and even everyone else is looking intensely at the screen beside me.

"Katniss Everdeen? The Martyred-" Copper started. Pyra immediately stepped in.

"No. No, no, no." she says ,shaking her head. "Sorry for interrupting. I'm not talking about the Katniss Everdeen who was the voice for the Rebellion. Making that clear. I'm talking about the 74th Annual Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen. The 75th Annual Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen. The Girl on Fire."

"Ah." Copper says, nodding. "My apologies; continue."

"Katniss has been a big inspiration for me because… her personality really spoke to me. Her identity spoke to me. Her, um… Well, her fire really spoke to me, too, obviously. Come on, all that fire in her clothes was pretty cool, am I right?" she chuckles, spurring cheering and applause.

"Hehe." she continues. "Well, I really liked Katniss's fire, but what I really wanted to do was take that fire, put it on me, and make it into an explosion. You know explosions? Yeah, really loud and outgoing. Things Katniss wasn't. Most of Katniss's fire was on the inside. ALL of my fire is on the outside."

More applause, then Copper continues. "So, Ms. Johansenn, what's on _your_ inside?"

"District Two is inside of me, Copper." Pyra declares, thumping her chest. "Proud, stalwart, rough around the edges."

"Mm. Do you mind telling us briefly about your innovative reconstruction of District Two's Reaping system?"

"Of course. I'm one of the four founders of JACCT, the Johansenn Academy for Career Conditioning and Training, with my two brothers, Aquos and Nimbus, and my sister, Terra. All Victors along with me. With the Capitol's permission, we altered the parameters by which District Two's tributes could be chosen."

"Did you have any siblings that participated in the Games that… were not Victors?" Copper asks carefully.

"Any dead siblings? Yeah. My older sister Umbra." Pyra says with a slow nod.

There's a moment of silence before Copper's next question. "If you don't mind, Pyra, could you tell us about your Reaping, 21 years ago?"

"Oh, jeez…" she chuckles, scratching her head. "I hope I can remember all the good parts. Lemme see… Alright, so there I was…"

~Pyra's POV~

_21 years before…_

Gravel crunches underneath my bare raw feet as I ascend the incline. My incline. Our incline. I wipe my nose on my arm as the cold air blows subtly by me. This is one of the highest points in District Two, besides the insurmountable Nut. As such, it's cold and windy up here. I don't care right now, though. All I care about is the stone marker at the top.

I kneel in front of the plain granite stone and stare at the words.

_In loving memory of Umbra Johansenn_

_Wonderful daughter, incredible sibling, endless inspiration._

This would be a tomb if Umbra's body wasn't obliterated against a brick wall six years ago. I remember watching her death clearer than I'd like. She was chasing down the cowardly little girl from District Three, Corla, who ended up winning in the end... Umbra was trying to chase her into a trap set by the other Careers, but Corla and Umbra ended up running into a giant skinless humanoid mutt with sickening carapaces over where their faces should be and a deadly looking bone-like appendage growing from its shoulder… Needless to say, they ran in the other direction.

The mutt gave chase, keeping steady pace with the two of them. Umbra was beginning to outrun Corla, until she stumbled on a stone she didn't see in her path… The lapse gave the mutt the opportunity to close the distance and spear its quite-literal shoulder blade straight into Umbra' back and through her body.

The worst would be yet to come, I realized, as Corla, crouching nearby in fear, watched as the beast lifted Umbra into the air and studied her for a long moment. Umbra, whose face was frozen in terrified agony, involuntarily coughed blood onto the beast. This seemed to irritate it, and the monster, swung its shoulder blade in an arc, throwing Umbra away from it with such force that her body exploded against a nearby wall. Corla screamed on the screen. My mother screamed beside me. I ran out of the room. Out of the house.

I promised myself I wouldn't cry over her death, so I don't. Not now. Even though I really, _really _want to. Umbra herself told me that tears were for babies. Instead, I just touch her marker and make her a promise. A promise that this is my year. The last thing she said to me, when we spoke in the Tributes' visiting room before she left for the Capitol, was that she wanted me to follow in her footsteps and be a winner, just like she'd be.

"Pyra… Hey, Pyra? Pyra!"

The feeling of someone poking the back of my head rouses me. I look at my older brother, and his expression is as solemn as mine as he glances at the marker. "It's too cold to be out here this early. Come on. The Reapings start in an hour.

As he said, an hour later, I stood amongst other eighteen-year-old girls, listening to our escort, Rayne, as she came up the stage toward the girls' Reaping Ball.

I don't even hear the name called. As soon as Rayne's lips move, I burst like a powder keg, mowing down teenage girls left and right to enter the paved walkway up to the stage. The other girls are so surprised that no one else moves and I sprint as fast as I can to where Rayne stands, completely unopposed.

"I, Pyra Johansenn, volunteer as tribute!" I scream as soon as I'm beside her. As soon as she hears my name, she starts to look at me curiously.

"Pyra Johansenn..? Sweetie, yours was the name I called. You're the Reaped tribute; you _can't_ volunteer."

The boiling blood in my veins freeze to ice instantly as I stand there gawking. Rayne smiles sympathetically, then holds the mike to her face. "Erm, on that note, _are_ there any volunteers?"

"Me! I volunteer!" calls voices throughout the crowd, and I watch in stunned horror as girls start to run up to the stage, racing to take my place. I catch my brother Nimbus's eye in the fourteens' section and he looks as forlorn as I do. My parents, behind the candidate tribute corrals, look on sadly as well, but just as I'm about to slump off the stage and back to my place, unable to live up to my sister's expectation of me, my stomach tightens as if the air had punched me, and Umbra's thoughts start to run through my head. _Am I really giving up that easily?_

The answer was no. I was _not_ giving up that easily. An eighteen-year-old brunette is the first to the stand, but as she starts to climb the steps to join Rayne, I throw my foot forward and make solid contact with her stomach, giving her enough force to throw her off the steps and crash into two other girls who were tailing her. All three fell to the ground in a daze.

Rayne gasps and turns to me, and as she does, I rip the mike from her hand and yell, "Screw that!"

Peacekeepers moved to escort me away, violently if necessary, but even they paused for a moment to listen to me.

"This is my last eligible year as Tribute, and I'm _not_ going to sour my sister's memory by giving it up to volunteers! I _refuse_ to!"

"Bullshit!" spat the eighteen-year-old who I kicked. She stood and clutched her stomach for a few moments before standing up straight again and glaring daggers at me. "This is against Reaping regulation! You can't do this, Pyra! Your _sister_ didn't do this!"

What she says almost makes me angry enough to leap off the stage and try to tackle her, but I know this girl. Portia Vice. She's fast. She sidestep my leap and steal my place from me while I'm face-first in the dirt. So, instead, I stand strong.

"You want to be Tribute so bad, Portia?" I growl in a deadly tone into the mike at her. "Come up those steps again. Go ahead and _try_ to take this away from me. I _dare_ you…"

Everything is silent as everyone present waits to see if Portia would accept the challenge. She doesn't. After a long staredown, she swore under her breath and turned away from me in a huff. The two woozy girls she crashed into follow. Moments later, a little girl in the twelve-year-old section starts to clap, and sure enough, all the corrals, the older citizens, and even some Peacekeepers join in. My lips curl in a victorious grin and I hand Rayne her mike back before pointing to the heavens.

"This is for you, Umbra."

**(A/N: There ya go! I did indeed tally all the votes submitted since the poll opened, including reviews, and Pyra and Ruby are indeed the winners! :D However, a couple of reviews did choose Corla because they wanted to see why she was so messed up. So I changed Umbra's and Corla's ages a bit (not that you knew them to begin with ;3), so they'd correspond. And there you go. Seeing a mutt explode someone's body against a brick wall will really mess with your head. But Umbra's gruesome death only partially contributed to Corla's state of mind. We'll see more of her later on.**

**Thanks for reading! Ruby's Reapings will be shown in the District Six train ride chapter! n_n Until then, this is SH10, wishing you happy reading!)**


	18. Miniature Hiatus

**(A/N: Hey, there guys. n_n; I guess I should've told you about this sooner, but I just thought about it now and I'm so embarrassed! I'm not going to be able to focus all my attention on the story for at least another week. My brother wants me to help him with a story that he's planning to post to FictionPress called 'Flux'. It's a cool idea, and I'm really excited for it, so I decided to help him out and spread my genius. :D That said, he's still in the developmental stage of writing, and I've discovered that trying to split my attention between his story and mine will only make both processes longer! Plus school and random computer shutdowns don't help at all… I don't want to keep you lot in any more anticipation than necessary, so in everyone's best interest, I'm just letting you know that it could be about another week before I manage to post the rest of this chapter.**

**This is the part of the story that my recent computer crash didn't wipe out. It's unchanged from its original document. T-T I'm only posting it so the story doesn't get reported for content-less chapters.)**

~Sorrel's POV~

As District Six gradually begins to speed out of view and the Capitol gets closer and closer, I give a small dreary sigh. Dinner and the recaps were fairly uneventful. No one really felt like talking, I suppose… Kern seemed nice enough, but he's very… to himself. He's not an open book in the least, and the little bit of history our mentors and I could squeeze out of him was pretty basic. His dad works at the Metrorail, he's had to take out tesserae, and he's been training for the Games, just in case.

I decide to withhold the fact that I had been preselected to be this year's Tribute as punishment by the government and only tell them about the fact that I was adopted and don't know much of anything about my past, or even my true last name. The family name of the people who adopted me was 'Migfly', so that's what I took on.

Tork, the male mentor and my specific mentor, won his Games 17 years ago at 18 by sticking with the Careers until it was just a couple of them left besides him. He murdered the remaining Careers in their sleep, then went on to hunt down the rest of the Tributes.

Mona, who's going to be Kern's mentor, won by being sneaky and only killing silently when loners came close. She let the rest of the Tributes kill and weaken themselves until there were too few to fight among each other anymore. Then she swooped in to snipe the rest quickly. All this was 45 years ago, when she was 17.

I'm sitting on my bed as I think all this through, clad in a sheer silver nightie. It's not the most modest sleepwear, but I find it comfortable. Besides, it's not like anybody can see…

I turn away from my window and lay down on my bed, blinking slowly. If I drift off, by the time I wake up, we'll be at the Capitol, getting ready to be beautified. This might be my last chance to dream sweetly, so I take the opportunity and close my eyes, trying to drift off quickly.

"Oh, Sorrel!" I hear Minnie's excitable voice pip from outside. I let out a groan as I climb out of the bed and slump groggily to the door, opening it up to see both Minnie _and_ Kern. So, yeah, I'm standing in front of my District counterpart wearing nothing but a tiny lacy nightie… Kern looks about as taken aback as I am.

"Good, you're up!" Minnie cheered, oblivious to the awkwardness. "Kern has something to give you!"

"Yeah…" he says slowly, scratching the back of his head. He extended his hand, holding out the ball of ice that I was playing with earlier.

"You left this at the table. Wasn't sure if you still wanted it." Kern explained.

"Oh, yeah, I do!" I say quickly, gratefully taking the ball from him. I love this little ice ball. Its core is so cool that it doesn't melt easily. I can't feel how cold the core is since it's been compressed deep into the ball, but it must be extremely frigid if it can maintain its form in warm weather without melting much at all! This ice ball was my last and greatest work of sculpturing in my little room back home. I can't remember how I made it exactly, though.

"Thanks, Kern." I say, closing the door.

"No pro-" he starts, but the door seals before he can finish. Ugh, I can't believe Minnie did that… She meant well, but still…

I place the ball of ice on my dresser before climbing back into the bed and falling asleep before I can be disturbed anymore.

**(A/N: So, yeah. Bear with me for a few more days, it'll be worth it soon. Ruby's getting her very own Reaping chapter and only has to share with about a page of Kern. n_n Then we move on to District Seven. Let me know in the reviews if there's anything in particular you would like to see changed that you remember from the previous renditions of the story chapters! :D I'm open to criticism and suggestions, as always!**

**Now, here's something to keep you busy while you wait for my prophecied return! I want you lot to find the ****SONG**** and **_**ACTOR/ACTRESS**_** that you think best fits each character in ****PERSONALITY**** and **_**PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION**_**, respectively. This could make it easier for me to envision your character and keep them IN character. Get it? n_n Post your finds as a review or by PM! I promise I'll be back as soon as possible!**

**Until then, this is SH10, wishing you happy reading! The scavenger hunt begins….. NOW!)**


	19. Hall of Mirrors

**(A/N: And we're back! I'm loving the input right now! n_n I think it's fair that I put a little in myself. Pyra, in my mind, is Halle Berry with Sia's voice. Imagine Halle Berry with vivid burgundy hair mouthing the lyrics to Wild Ones by Flo Rida (ft. Sia), and that's as clear a picture of Pyra that you're going to get. Coincidentally, Wild Ones is Pyra's perfect song, as well. The theme to her Games is Titanium, another song featuring Sia. :D**

**Ruby is a slightly younger Angelina Jolie with Ariana Grande's hair and Nicki Minaj's voice (her singing voice, not her rapping voice.) Masquerade, by Nicki Minaj (coincidence!), is her Games' theme song. :3**

**I imagine President Centari as Al Gore, back when he was in Congress. I don't know his theme song. n_n; Any ideas?**

**Hunter Riverson, from District Four, in my mind, is Carlos Pena Jr., from Big Time Rush. :D His theme song to me is Guardian Angel by ****Tyler James Williams and Coco Jones. Sound familiar?**

**That's all for right now! You're open to input some more, and I'll do the same. :D**

**Now, on to the story!)**

…

RUBY JENKINS

DISTRICT ONE

All vision is obscured by rapidly flashing red lights, then gradually, the lights melt into rapidly flashing, slowly spinning angled lights, spirals of bright vibrant color. After a half a minute, it's gone, and what's left is Ruby Jenkins standing on a pedestal with her arms crossed over her ample chest. A ruby-studded tiara sits on her head, and her bright hair is a vibrant waterfall that flows down to her shoulders. High cheekbones poke out of her winning smile. Her green eyes glimmer cattily, and she winks at the camera right as it goes white and segues into a series of short three-second clips while trumpet fanfare plays in the background.

A younger Ruby on her chariot, adorned from head to toe in a dress loosely woven from shining red glass, is the first scene followed quickly by the clip of her score being announced beside her face, a 7, which Ruby would claim she purposely aimed to receive in order to give herself good luck. The next three seconds show her walking onto the stage to her interview, dressed in an incredibly flashy and skimpy outfit. A tiny red corset was wrapped around her chest and stomach, still quite busty even in her formative years. A glossy red skirt wrapped around her from the hips to halfway down the thighs, but the fabric in the front and back was more pale and translucent, giving a peek at the lack of panties she wore underneath.

The next and final scene is during the Games, in which Ruby looks like a whole different person. Her bouncy red hair is tangled and matted. Her clothes are torn in almost all the wrong places. There's a trickle of blood running down the top of her head and a round arrow wound above her left breast. Ruby has a wild look in her eyes and is standing behind another, larger girl with a bloody face that she's forced to her knees and is holding by the hair. There's something about the other girl's face that would make you certain she was from District Two, even though the face was bloody and tearstained. Ruby's holding a knife in her strong hand so tightly that her knuckles were as white as snow. Although the most disturbing thing has to be the locale. The two girls were surrounded by mirrors. Many of them were musty and broken, but there could be no doubt it was a disorienting and confusing hall of mirrors.

"Drop dead!" Ruby screams before swinging to drive the knife into her enemy's neck. The scene cuts to black before the bloody show that would've been sure to follow. Another scene slowly fades in, this time into the Capitol's performance hall, where Tribute interviews are held.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen of the Capitol!" Copper Keel's cool voice runs through the crowded auditorium, in which every seat is filled and every eye is brimming with sparkling anticipation. Copper waits another moment before he continues.

"You are all here today to bear witness to a portion of one of the greatest television events in Panem's history!" his speech begins. Copper sounds like a professional, like it's his own words he's saying, even though there's a screen sitting perfectly out of view of the audience members, he's being guided by prompter.

"Standing just offstage to my left are twenty-four of the strongest warriors the world has ever known. Out of five hundred seventy-six tributes, these are the twenty-four Victors that emerged from them, and though I haven't met all of them yet, I couldn't be any prouder of any of them." Copper pauses for the applause, then continues. "The twenty-four Victors we've come to love as mentors to our brave tributes every year have come together now to participate in what is to be an extravagant television special that will be finished and aired next year, before the 7th Quarter Quell. They will now be subjected to tribute-style three-minute interviews. I know you all can't wait any longer to meet them all over again, and neither can I, so let's begin with District One!"

There's a few moments of fanfare, and an aerial view of a sunny District One takes up the gigantic wall screen behind Copper. "District One is a bright and wonderful place with bright and wonderful people, but I doubt there are many people as bright or wonderful as my first guest. To kick this event off, let's all warmly welcome to the stage the Victor of the 166th Annual Hunger Games, the beautiful Ms. Ruby Jenkins!"

The flourish of trumpets that announce Ruby's presence is drowned out by the roar of ear-splitting applause as Ruby steps onto the stage. Unlike the younger Ruby from her Games, Ruby's attire now was surprisingly very modest and vintage. She wore a red poke bonnet laced with a white frill over her head, only allowing a few strands of hair to poke out and frame her shoulders. Her sleeves were puffy pink at the shoulder and transparent all the way down to her wrists. The clear sleeves were covered frugally in sparkly red glitter. Her actual dress was padded on the chest and did a good job at suppressing her ample bosom. From her midriff, the dress flared into several layers of voluminous skirts, and the hem ended at her ankles. Dainty ruby slippers hid her feet, and while she didn't need it, a thinning corset had been strapped around her torso. To complete her medieval ensemble, she grasped a ruby-tipped cane in her left hand.

The only skin she showed was than of her face and arms, far less than she bared the last time she had been on the stage, but despite that, she still appeared as beautiful, sensual, and erotic as she would have if she was dressed only in undergarments. Her body's appeal and sexiness soaked itself into her clothes like blood into linen. Ruby flashed her perfect teeth to the crowd as she flattened her skirts against her tush and sat in the comfortable chair beside Copper.

"Ruby, four years ago, you were the very first Tribute that I interviewed after taking the great Mr. Caesar Flickerman's place as host for the Hunger Games. Let me tell you, it frightened the air out of my lungs. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into when I saw you walk out onto the stage wearing the outfit you were wearing!"

Ruby began to laugh gently, while the rest of the audience fell into peals of laughter as many remembered Ruby's scandalous garbs she wore only four years ago. That year, many of the Districts, One included, thought the outfit was a little much for someone who was sixteen at the time, but the Capitol ate her right up, and sponsors poured in like a surging tide through busted floodgates.

"I am glad to see that this outfit does not steal my breath quite as much as when I last saw you here on the stage, but I still cannot help but notice that you are still an absolute beauty to behold, Ms. Jenkins."

"And I can see you've lost none of your charm, Mr. Keel." Ruby replied with a wink. "Being on this stage brings back vivid memories. It's as if I'm half-naked before the world all over again!"

The audience bursts into laughter again, and a few mentors off-stage are laughing, too. Copper clears his throat to ask his next question. "Have you always been this perky?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow and stared down at her breasts for a moment. "Oh! You mean personality." she chuckles, setting a hand on his shoulder. More roaring applause and laughter from the audience. "To answer your question, no I haven't. Before the 166th Annual Hunger Games, I was a mess."

"A mess? Explain."

"For starters, I can't remember a thing about myself before I was found. It's like I just came into existence at the age of five, face-down on a beach, until my mother found me. I know she wasn't my biological mother, but she was my mother all the same." Ruby said. The audience was silent now.

"Was?" Copper asked carefully, raising an eyebrow.

"Was. She's dead now. She died of natural causes and I was sad for about a month. Then I met my first real lover. But that's a different story I'm sure you don't want to hear. I'll go back to the day I was found. It just sort of happened like this…"

~Ruby's POV~

_20 years ago…_

…What happened to me..? My eyes seem to open for the first time in my life, and I'm staring into a dark wall of sand. As soon as I know what I'm lying in, I try to keep my breathing as faint as possible to keep me from breathing in the sand and choking myself. A strange feeling, like a million icy hands gripping my flesh beneath my nightclothes, causes me to gasp, and I do successfully breathe in a clot of sand. I shoot up immediately and begin to cough, sputtering a lot of wet sand onto the sea of it I seem to have spawned on… There's glistening beige sand for as far as my eye can see on one side of me. It's breathtakingly beautiful and I wonder if I'm in heaven. Is that why I can't remember anything? I'm told you forget your troubles in heaven. Was my whole life until now just one big trouble? I turn to the other side and quickly discover that I'm not in heaven. Yet, anyway. There's a lady running toward me. She's yelling something, but I can't hear anymore. My vision starts to fade, and I can almost feel the blood flow slowing in my body. I fall unconscious again, dead to the world again before my head hits the sand.

000

"What's your name?"

"I don't know."

"Where did you come from to have just collapsed on the beach like that?"

"I don't know."

"What _do_ you know?"

"I'm five, miss."

I hold my tiny hand out to her with all four fingers and my thumb extended. "What about you? What's your name? What is this place?"

"My name? I'm Velvet. Velvet Jenkins." the lady introduces herself.

"Will you be my mommy?" I ask her. I don't think she likes this question for some reason. She looks at me really weird.

"You don't want to find your real mother?" Velvet asks me. I shake my head. "Well, why not?"

"I want you to be my real mommy."

The two of us are sitting in the room she put me in after scooping me up from the beach. She told me first that a big storm had recently ended before asking me a lot of questions I didn't know the answers to. I hadn't noticed my hair color until now, but it's a really bright and almost unnatural red. I wonder if Velvet noticed too?

"Well, I'm flattered, but I really think we should try finding your real mother, Ms… hm, what can I call you…"

"Since you're my mommy and your last name is Jenkins, can my last name be Jenkins, too?" I ask her. She offers a small smile.

"For now, yes. Now, for a first name…"

Velvet's eyes scan my face. My bright green eyes, my round tomato-like facial structure, and finally, she looks at my vivid hair color and smiles.

"Ruby. I'll call you Ruby Jenkins until we find your real parents and they can teach you your real name again."

Ruby Jenkins… Meh, it's alright.

~3rd Person POV~

_Present day…_

"Velvet searched high and low for any missing child reports that matched my description, but after about five years, she starting going out looking less and less, and when I was twelve, she stopped searching entirely. I had finally become her daughter."

Ruby flashes a small winning smile, and the audience bursts into cheers and applause. Even Copper stands to clap.

"Marvelous story, Ruby! Now-"

"Oh, I'm not done yet." Ruby interrupted. Copper raised an eyebrow. "You asked if I was always this bubbly. I wasn't. I haven't explained what changed me yet."

Ruby smiled and Copper chuckled and nodded. "Well, by all means, Ms. Jenkins, continue."

"Well, the change actually happened in me during the Games. I was scared out of my mind until the final 12, and cold and ruthless until the Big Three. That's when things started spiraling. Let me explain…"

~Ruby's POV~

_9 years ago…_

My breath comes out in deep pants as I stare at Jocasta's lifeless body. Her own knife, which I ripped from her in our recent and final fight, protrudes from her pierced neck. Blood splattered the floor, the mirrors, and the stagnant scent of iron filled the room. Jocasta's middle finger on her right hand twitched, and I screamed, brutally stepping on her hand and shattering it into tiny mangled pieces. She didn't move anymore. I hear her cannon fire over hidden loudspeakers in the hall of mirrors where we took our fight. One down… Only two left to go.

I only look back once at Jocasta as I walk away, and I regret it immediately. One look at her still body and the sea of blood she's immersed in is enough to make me vomit violently. There's blood in what I retch up. I think I'm bleeding internally… In fact, I'm sure of it now, but I don't know how bad it is or whether or not I'll even make it out of the room. Now I'm incredibly woozy…

I almost trip in my own throw-up, but other than that, I manage to remain steady until the final hallway before I leave the building. I feel a weight in my stomach, like I'm filling myself with blood… Is that's what's happening? Am I imagining this? I stumble out the door and into the night sky above the wooden boardwalk. I lose my balance immediately and crash into a concession stand. The noise is horrendous. If the other two were close, they'd know my location and at least one would be on me in an instant. But there's nothing. I lay in a pile of shattered glass, wood, and plastic for five minutes, then ten, thirty. I fall asleep eventually, the worst possible thing I can do at this time, but luckily, I'm not out for more than five minutes before the death cannon wakes me up.

I sit up and grab my still-bleeding head in my hands to keep myself from spinning out of control again. The other two must have found each other before either found me… It's just me and either the 15-year-old female from Nine or the male 18-year-old from Six. There's a small tingling sound in the air, and I think it's my ears still ringing until something hits me on the back of the head. I scream as loud as I can and whip around, thinking that my final opponent has found his target and claimed an easy Victory, but to my relief, it's a silver parachute attached to a canister. I swear under my breath, realizing I gave away my position again and that despite my injuries, I have to leave if I have any chance. Whatever's in this thing will have to wait… Wrapping the canister with the parachute, I haul myself out of the wreckage of the concession stand and begin to run as fast as I can down the wooden walkway that is the center stage of these nightmarish Games…

It's an abandoned faire of some sort. The lights are dim and ominous and the only life that existed upon the rotting wooden carcass of the once-festive looking locale was my own and the lives of the other 23 victims. The bloodbath was gruesome. You ever watch a twelve-year-old boy kill a twelve-year-old girl with his bare fists while she screamed for him to stop? You haven't seen everything yet. Many of the 'weapons' were just rusty bludgeons like pipes and sharp debris like splintered pieces of wood. The 'good' weapons were the plain ones inside the Cornucopia, your basic knives and bows and arrows. Nothing too fancy, like guns or things that conduct electricity.

The Feast happened when the Final Eight were left. It was held at the large, debilitated Ferris wheel off to one side of the boardwalk. I had broken from the Careers at that point, and happened to be a few buildings down from the Ferris wheel when the announcement was made. I got there to find that the same murderous twelve-year-old from the bloodbath, who I learned was from Five, had already arrived and was pigging out on cotton candy and twisty pretzels. I took great pleasure in knocking him to the ground, sitting on his stomach, slowly cutting off each of the fingers he used to murder that crying twelve-year-old girl from Thirteen, and stuffing them into his mouth.

"THERE'S your Feast!" I screamed at him while I did it. "Doesn't taste too good, does it? DOES IT?"

He had passed out and stopped screaming by finger seven, but I cut off the rest anyway because I felt like it. His cannon rang out after finger nine. It was then that I realized what the Games had done to me… I grabbed food and split before any other tributes had arrived, and holed up in a hall of mirrors, horrified with myself. I listened as three more cannons rang out while I hid in the disorienting mirror hall, and that's when Jocasta from Two found me, and you saw how that turned out.

And now here I am, running away from a hidden enemy. I run until I reach the end, where the calm ocean stretches out in front of me. I finally open the canister and peer inside to find a small bottle of clear liquid and a letter. The letter is sealed with a sticker that reads: 'DRINK FIRST'. I furl my eyebrows and look around to make sure my final opponent isn't nearby, then swig the entire small bottle in one gulp. Everything is gone in an instant, consciousness winks out like a light switch…

_Dear Ruby,_

_If you're reading this, you've made it to the very last leg of your impossible race. It's just you and one other person. While I'm sure I won't be particularly proud of some of your actions in your Games, if you're reading this now, be assured that I couldn't be prouder of my Ruby Jenkins._

_There's probably nothing I can say that can erase the horrors you've seen, but the liquid you just drank should do a close enough job of it. It's made of altered tracker jacker venom. Don't ask how I got it. Please don't. Best not to just mention it to me at all when you get back._

_You're strong, Ruby. Don't let the things you've seen and the things you've done alter what you're going to see and do in the future, and you DO have a future. Your life will not end at these Games, because I have the utmost faith that you'll win. Don't let these Games be an obstacle like they've been an obstacle to past Victors. Live a long and happy life. Always stay bright. Shine like a ruby. And destroy this letter after you've read it enough times to get it ingrained._

_With all the love in the world,_

_Velvet Jenkins_

I ball up the letter and throw it into the ocean after I've read it for the seventh time. I wipe the tears from my eyes and I'm able to smile as I lean over the banister at the end of the walk and watch the waves. Maybe it's the fuzzy feeling in my head, combined with the words on the page I just read that I've burned into my brain, or maybe it's the fact that there was a healing agent mixed into the tracker jacker venom I drank that sped up the healing of my arrow wound and head cut, but I feel better than ever, almost like I can do anything.

Wood creaks behind me and I turn my head, staring right into the eyes of the pale-skinned blonde girl from District Nine, holding Jocasta's knife that I must've dropped when I passed. I kick myself for not looking for it immediately after waking up, but my smile widens and I turn to face her.

"I-I'll kill you!" the frightened girl screams, and she looks as if she's about to spring forward and lunge, but stops herself at the last moment, standing frozen in place and just staring with wide fearful eyes at me.

"You sure?" I chuckle, pulling my tattered shirt over my head and wiping my face with it casually. It's too ripped to hide my breasts anymore so why keep it on? When she thinks I'm not looking at it, she yells again and starts to run forward, swinging the knife with all her strength. A simple sidestep and a knee to the gut causes the air to leave her body and the knife to fly out of her hand and into the water below with my letter. She bends forward and tries to catch her breath, and I just laugh as I circle her reeling body.

"Lost your breath and your weapon in a simple move. How'd you make it this far, anyway? Let me guess, it was a mutt that killed the guy from Six and not you? Pathetic."

She turns and takes another swing. I duck and throw my shoulder into her flat chest, causing her to stumble backwards into the banister. She's up on her feet again surprisingly quickly and manages to wrap her arms around my waist, bringing me to the ground and starting a round of screaming, cursing, hair-pulling, and scratching. But I'm stronger than she is. Within moments I throw her off and stand up, grimacing as I pick a splinter out of my breast and pick up the tattered shirt again. I pull it taut and find that despite being ripped in a lot of places, the material is still strong. I smile as the pale little girl hauls herself to her feet and throws herself at me again. I step aside and watch her crash into the railing, knocking the wind out of herself again.

"No more Games." I sigh before gripping the shirt in such a way that I can reach around and tightly wrap into around her throat. She gives a cut-off gasp as I pull tighter, keeping the air from reaching her lungs. She flounders and flails, trying to push me away, but each second, her movements get more sluggish. When she finally goes limp, I grip the garment till my knuckles go white and pull back as hard as I can until I hear the satisfying click of a snapped neck.

I reach down and grab her legs, hauling her over the banister and watching her dead body fall into the ocean below. The final cannon fires. I'm a Victor…

~Kern's POV~

_Present day…_

"And that's my story!" Ruby says on the screen, clapping her hands. "That letter from my mother really helped me through the last few minutes of my Games. If the Nine girl found me earlier, or while I was unconscious, I wouldn't be talking to you right now."

The audience erupts to applause, and Minnie applauds beside me, too. The screen begins to fade to black, and Copper Keel and Sparrow begin talking again moments later.

"Well, the special's over." Minnie sighs, smiling at me. "You can go on to bed now, Kern. I really appreciate you watching it with me!"

I smile back and nod, standing from the couch and walking into the dining car again. Tork and Mona are still talking among each other, look up at me as I pass, then go back to talking as I leave. I'm vaguely aware of hearing Mona say the word 'blackout' when I came in, and I start to wonder what she may have been talking about, but I shake my head. I'll never get to sleep if I start thinking too deeply about it…

**(A/N: There ya go! n_n I hope you enjoyed that peek into Ruby's Games as much as I did! District Seven's train ride will be up next, but it may be a little bit before it comes up. Keep up the actor/song input! :D Till next time, Hungry Gamers!)**


	20. Beds of Pudding

**(A/N: Hello, again, Hungry Gamers! Sorry for the delay, but I was breaking in my new game, World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria! Loving it so far! :D I was also stumped as to how I could make D7 better than the last time, and it took a while for it to hit me! Get ready to meet Ellie's friend, Misha!**

**Onward!)**

~Thorne's POV~

The first half of our train ride is fairly quiet. After Yuvhra introduced us to our mentors, Flora and Faun, who are the luckiest two siblings I know to have won back-to-back Games when not in a Career District, she meanders off into another car, having to duck to get herself through the auto-doors. We all take a seat at the couch, and I suppose we're waiting for the recaps… At first, no one talks that much, which I don't really mind. If you've spent your life in a home full of tween girl gossip and squeaky laughter at jokes that aren't funny, a little peace and quiet is equivalent to a pleasantry.

"Well..?" Ellie finally speaks up after a minute. Flora blinks at her.

"Yes, dear?" she asks, her voice soft and motherly. This seems to have an impact on Ellie, because I notice her throat tighten a little.

"Well, you're our mentors… Shouldn't you be mentoring us? This is just dead space right now." she says frankly. I have to agree, to a fault, but she could've been a little less rude. I suppose I have to respect her forward-thinking attitude, though.

"Yeah, like what advice can you give us, Game-wise?" I second with a nod.

Flora and Faun look at each other for a moment. "We don't know." they both say at the same time.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Ellie demanded, her eyebrows knitting. "You have to know _something_! How'd you two win your Games?"

"Well, sure, we could tell you how to win a regular Hunger Games… But this isn't a regular one; this is a Quell. And not only is this a Quell, it's a Quell the likes of which we've never seen before. Until we get a good enough look at what exactly we're dealing with, this is beyond our capacity." Flora says, frowning sadly.

"And besides," Faun speaks up. "We haven't even seen the recaps yet. You're awfully eager to goad nuggets of wisdom out of us when we're flying completely blind at the moment."

Ellie sighs in defeat and crosses her arms. "Relax," I tell her. "We'll have something soon. The recaps should be scheduled to-"

"Don't tell me to relax!" Ellie snarls. "We're on our way to be prettied up and paraded like animals before we're 'translocated' into who-knows-what, and you want me to _relax_?"

"Uh, yeah." I say, furling my brows. "Freaking out is not going to make our situation any better."

"So what do suggest we do? Just sit here and do nothing?" Ellie blurts out in frustration.

"For now, yes. Until we can get a good look at our opponents, that's all we _can_ do."

"I'mma go take a shower." Ellie sighs. "You all can twiddle your thumbs if you want. I'm going to think about _my_ strategy. I don't plan on dying in the bloodbath."

Ellie stands and walks quickly away from the table toward the compartment car.

"Well, she's pleasant." Faun sighs.

"She's got her mother's looks and her father's attitude. She's a Jaxs alright." Flora says with a nod.

"You knew her parents?" I inquire with a raise of my brows. No one hears or talks much about the execution of Theodor and Eleanor Jaxs for acts of terror against the nation of Panem, so hearing it now is fairly intriguing to me.

"We were both mentors to her father the year he became a Victor." Flora confirms with a nod. "Quite a firebrand, that one. Smart as a whip, too. It's a shame he's gone. We mentored her friend, too, last year. Her name was Misha, and she was the sweetest little thing… She used an external pacemaker because of bodily complications with an internal one. We were afraid that it would be her Achilles' heel. Unfortunately, we were correct. She was the first one to die last year because someone exploited her tragic circumstance and killed her by destroying her pacemaker."

Faun nods solemnly, and I look back to the door that Ellie had exited through, thinking about all that she had lost… I can see why she's eager to be mentored…

~Misha's POV~

_Last year…_

Sunlight, a cool breeze, the smell of freshwater, and a curtain of dread wash over me as my platform lifts me into the arena. I don't have to look far to know immediately that these will be very interesting Games. First of all, the sky is green and the sun is an odd shade of bronze that casts a strikingly sinister light on absolutely everything. Not only that, the sun looks to be visibly trembling, making it look like our shadows are rippling and kindly offering the illusion that we're not standing on solid ground.

This is much more disorienting than it sounds. Seeing shivering shadows, weird orange-ish glare all around you, and a grass-green sky is not at all easy on the eyes. The Head Gamemaker clearly wants to mess with our senses, but he or she could've made the place look a _little_ better, jeez…

The one place of shelter from the eye-stabbing contrast all around me and the twenty-three other tributes is a large palace-like construct nearby, which I'm certain will be crawling with mutts, so I immediately cross that off as a place to run after I grab a couple of things around me from the Cornucopia. I see a knife and a small backpack fairly close by. I also see Daphne, the raven-haired sadist from Two, close by as well… Daphne doesn't like me. At all. She doesn't like anybody except her District partner, and even that's a fragile neutrality. Kicker is, I haven't the faintest inkling why. She and I locked eyes for a second in the stables before the chariot rides, and she's been a witch to me ever since. I think it might be because, like many storybook witches, she's jealous of other girls for looking normal or pretty while she's stuck with her meaty horse face. If that's the case, she _really_ must think I'm pretty if she's holding such a pointless 'grudge' over it…

I don't realize I'm leaning forward until a second before it's too late. I gasp and quickly catch and steady myself before I tumble off the platform and blow myself to pieces, sighing with relief. Daphne, who looks slightly off-balance herself, grins wickedly. I gulp and look forward again. There's twenty-seven seconds left until the gong will ring and the Games will begin. I suddenly begin to feel light-headed, and there's a ring of darkness framing the edges of my vision, as if I'm fainting… A moment later, there's a brief tickle on my chest and I'm better again. I look down and remember my artificial external pacemaker that's been keeping me alive since I was seven, when I had my first attack of acute bradycardia.

I was in gym class in school when it happened, and I could feel my heart beating really fast while running. About a hundred feet from finishing my goal of a full lap around the school, I felt my heartbeat slow down suddenly and dramatically, and before I knew what was going on, I was on my face in the grass, feeling like I was floating on top of a bed of pudding. I passed out and dreamed of just that: giant bed of pudding as far as my eye could see. It was the best dream ever dreamed in the history of dreaming, hands down. It was such a good dream that I didn't want to ever wake up, and was angry when I finally slipped back into consciousness a week later.

I had a machine on my chest that doctors couldn't put inside of me for some medical reasons I couldn't understand, being seven and stupid at the time. They warned me not to touch the thing and, being seven and stupid at the time, I poked it and tapped it curiously, despite my parents' furious pleas for me to stop. Then one day, about a year after leaving the hospital, it happened. I don't know what I touched, but it was the wrong thing to touch and the wrong way to touch it, because the machine broke with a sizzle. I panicked for about a second, thinking my heart would stop again. What I didn't expect was to get electrocuted.

The pain was unbearable, like someone heated the head of a spear until it was red-hot and then shoved it into my chest. That's all I dreamed of while I was unconscious… I was out for so long and the spear nightmare recurred so many times that I thought I had died and gone to hell for being a bad little girl for not listening to my parents, and that my eternal punishment would be the devil himself endlessly stabbing me with his pitchfork… Let that be a lesson, boys and girls.

The coma lasted another half year, and doctors were ecstatic when I woke with a start one day. They were about a week away from giving up on me. Needless to say, I learned my lesson. I never touched my pacemaker again. I never let anyone else touch it either, except the doctors whenever I visited to have it looked at and tested. I get kinda scared every time I feel my pacemaker tickle me when it gives my hart a buzz.

Being electrocuted and then gored by Satan for a half a year made these Games seem like a piece of cake at the time, but now that I'm actually fourteen seconds away from the bloodbath, I can't shake the dread gripping my damaged heart. I'm at a huge disadvantage, what with my greatest weakness sitting right on my chest under my shirt, and I can't run as fast, hit as hard, or think as quickly as many of the other tributes. And if Daphne has any say in the matter… I push the thoughts from my head and watch the clock above the Cornucopia. Seven seconds… Six… Five… Four… Three… Two… One…

The ring of the gong is much more forceful than I thought it'd be, and I blame the environment. Clearly, something around us is attacking our senses. I'm stunned for about a half a second. Most of the tributes are running clumsily toward the Cornucopia. Some trip over their own feet as they flee into the surrounding woods without a second glance back. Daphne half-runs half-totters straight toward me. My pacemaker doesn't even allow me the luxury of heart-pounding terror, and the adrenaline I need never arrives. I step off my platform and immediately start to lose my balance. This sensory assault is complete bullshit…

I ignore the backpack and knife I planned to escape with and turn to try and stagger as quickly as I can away from the homicidal maniac baring her crooked fangs at me. I don't get far. I'm easily thrown off my feet and pinned to the ground, staring up at Daphne's mangled grin on top of me. I half-hope she breaks my neck or punches me in the face until my skull caves in, but nope. She wants to make my death as painful and agonizing as possible, and it's to my horror that I discover she knows _exactly_ how to do that as she tries to take off my shirt.

"No, stop!" I scream, fighting with the teenage monster to keep my shirt on. I'm relieved to find that this deflects her for a moment as she snarls with frustration that I'm not going to make this easy. I have no plans of surviving this encounter, and the only reason I'm relieved is that it gives me a couple of precious seconds to think about all the people I love and who will miss me. My heart warms, a useless cushion for the terrible death throes in my immediate future. Like putting a pillow between me and that heated spear. It doesn't do shit, but it's nice to know it's here.

Daphne finally manages to tear my shirt and rip it off. I expect her to go straight for my pacemaker, but I underestimate how much of a cruel sadist she is. She's not content with just killing me in the worst way possible, she wants to make sure I'm thoroughly embarrassed in front of all of Panem before she does it, so she forces off the rest of my clothes. Well, the joke's on her, because I really couldn't care less what happens to me at this point.

"Congrats, you've wasted my time _and_ yours." I sigh, spitting in her face when she sits on my stomach. The spit hits her in the eye. "I hope it was worth missing the bloodbath jut to slowly end my miserable life."

"Oh, it was. Daphne says, hocking up a nasty glob of saliva and firing it at my forehead. Her spit is warm and gross, and I'm only consoled with the thought that mine must be, too. "Ready to die, pretty girl?"

"Go for it." I say boredly. "It's not like I had a chance."

Daphne seems pissed that she can't relish this moment as much as she would've liked, and without another word, she rips the pacemaker off of my chest. It feels like a Band-Aid being ripped off, only a hundred times worse, and I scream out in pain. The lead wires of the device are still attached to holes in my chest that lead into my heart, and I know it's not over quite yet. And then she crushes it.

The heated spear flies back into my chest, agonizingly familiar to that same feeling that I felt eight years ago. My chest jumps into the air and the rest of my body is on its own, kicking, twisting, curling, flailing, and frying. I'm in control of nothing. Needling heat surges its way through my body, and I can even feel the electricity behind my eyes. The pain is indescribable. Like seriously, there's nothing I can say that would come close to describing how badly this hurts except pure and utter hell. Pure. Utter. Hell.

It's over as quickly as it begins, and I'm flat on the ground again, unable to feel a thing. I know my organs are crispy by the way smoke rises from my skin, and one eye has gone dark. I'm moments away from being the first death of the 174th Annual Hunger Games, and I know it. Daphne laugh with victory and starts to meander off to join the Careers. In the ear that doesn't have smoke coming out of it, I hear Daphne call out, "No, wait! It's me! Da-"

She's suddenly cut off, and the last thing I see before my other eye goes dark is Daphne falling to the ground with an arrow in her skull and the klutzy doofus from One holding a bow with one hand, her eyes wide, and the other hands clasped over her mouth. "Oops!"

I die happy.

**(A/N: And there you have it! n_n I hope you're enjoying the train ride chapters; there are only five more to go! Next we'll get a look at Paisley and Franklin! If my awesome new game doesn't steal my soul first, the next chapter should be up within a week or two. If you suspect I'm slacking off, it takes as little as a good long review to spark my inspiration. :D**

**Tell me what you thought! Should I do flashback POVs like this more frequently? I like that there's not a lot of dialogue in flashbacks. Gives me an opportunity to flex my description and exposition muscles. *flex***

**Until next time, Hungry Gamers!)**


	21. I'm Alive! Forced Hiatus

**A/N: It's been nearly a whole month, but I promise, I'm not dead. :3 I was on the East Coast and got hit by Superstorm Sandy. My power is still out and I can't turn on my computer, so I've no access to my chapters. I'm typing this to you from a hotel computer.**

**Don't lose hope, guys, I should have power again within about another week or so, if not earlier, so Train Ride Eight should be up soon. Stay hopeful!**

**And so this doesn't get flagged for story-less content...)**

Once upon a time in the magical lollipop pony kingdom of Sillynamia, there was a pretty pink and purple pony princess named Princess.

Princess was a powerful princess who pleased the people of the lollipop pony kingdom of Sillynamia.

Princess Princess married Prince, the purple prince of the adjacent magical lollipop pony kingdom of Aimanyllis, had plenty and plenty of pretty pink and purple pony babies, and saved the world from evil.

"The end. Go to bed."

"But that wasn't-"

"Go to bed..."

"But, mom, I thought-"

"I SAID GO TO BED!"

"Okay..."

**(A/N: Tada! :D You guys enjoy that stupid little ficlet until I get my power back and can turn on my computer again. n_n; Until next time!)**


	22. Nightmare

**(A/N: Welcome back! Did you enjoy the commercials? n_n I come to you today with the completely revamped District Eight train ride chapter! We see a lot more of Paisley and Scott, and we're going to hint at the origins of the 'Anti-Pack' if you remember it. If you don't, you better stay tuned. ;3**

**Onward!)**

~Paisley's POV~

I'm not even in the mood for a real shower… When I step into the bathroom, I just plug the drain, run the lower head, then sit on the toilet seat and cry until the tub fills about three-quarters of the way, then I just climb into the hot water fully clothed, bend my legs, wrap my arms around my knees, and stew. It takes around ten minutes for the steamy bath to become uncomfortable enough for me to start peeling away my saturated clothes.

My depression has made me sluggish an uncoordinated. I fight to pull my shirt over my head, and I war with the single brass button on my jeans before finally forcing them off five minute later. My fingers are incredibly sore, so I don't even bother trying to take off anything else and just bathe in my underwear. It's not as bad as before, but I still feel like a mess. Eventually, I just press my back to the tub wall, bring my hands up to cup my face, and wonder how the hell I got here.

What happened to me and my baby brother Franklin shouldn't be possible. It shouldn't be allowed. But one sister's sorrow is a whole city's juicy plot twist. I'm certain the Capitol will eat this right up: two siblings, barely eligible and nearly ineligible respectively, Reaped simultaneously for the same Games, a Quarter Quell on top of that. It's incomprehensibly outlandish, so much so that I am fully convinced that the Reaping was rigged in some way. The Capitol would ruin families for the sake of entertainment and good ratings…

"You in there, Paisley?" Scott's voice calls from behind the bathroom door. I take my hands from my face and look at the door.

"Yeah, come in." I croak tiredly.

"…I'm sorry?" I hear him say. I grin a little bit.

"I'm not even really bathing, Scott." I say as I reach for my sopping shirt and reluctantly pull the warm wet garment over my body. "I'm decent. Just come in."

There's a moment's delay before the door opens and Scott pokes his head inside. I try to smile at him, but I must look so brittle. His wary gaze softens and he enters completely, closing the door behind him and kneeling at the tub. He runs his soothing hand through my still-dry hair and I sigh softly.

"I'm so sorry you're here, Paisley." he says softly. "Neither you nor Franklin deserve this."

"You don't, either, Scott." I respond. He looks confused. "Scott, you know as well as I do how this will-"

"Stop." he tries to cut me off gently.

"-turn out. We _both_ know it."

"Paisley, stop." he says again, firmer. I really should stop like he told me, but I can't. The words just come.

"You don't deserve to watch me die, Scott."

He stops combing my hair with his fingers and cups his hand around the back of my head, pulling me so that his forehead presses tightly to mine. His eyes are hard and mean-looking as he glares deeply at me. I've seen this face before. He wore it for most of his Games. He's never used that face with me before, and I grow scared.

"Paisley…" he starts. I gulp. "If you love me, you will _never_ say that again. This isn't about me. I've won my Games already, and now I'm going to do as much as I can to help you win yours. I'm not going to let you die, and I'm _certainly_ not going to let you metaphorically kill yourself before you're even in the arena. Understood?"

"Mm hm…" I whimper, unused to seeing Scott like this.

"Stop mumbling." he orders. "Talk like you mean it. Are you going to win this thing for us?"

"…Yes." I say, loud enough for him to find it acceptable. His gaze softens, and with his hand still on the back of my head, he pulls me into a deep and gentle kiss. I close my eyes and enjoy his presence for several seconds before a terrible though crosses my mind.

"What about Franklin?" I ask. Scott doesn't answer. He stays silent for so long that I have to ask a second time. "Scott… What about my little brother?"

"…Tawny is Franklin's mentor, Paisley, not me. I'm sorry, but I can't do anything for him." he sighs sadly.

It takes me a few seconds of blank staring to realize what he's just told me. I'm about to cry again, and he notices. He quickly takes me into another comforting kiss.

"Mmph!" I protest, pushing him away frostily. I shrink back into the far corner of the tub and bring my knees up to my chest, looking away and snarling, "Scott, how could you?"

"How could I what?" he asks, sounding hurt and confused.

"Forsake my brother!" I growl out, unable to keep my volume in check anymore.

"Paisley, I have no choice, and neither do you. I can't save you both, and you can't save him."

"What the hell does that mean?" I shout, standing in the tub. I'm too angry right now to feel ridiculous that I'm standing in front of my boyfriend, calf-deep in a pool of lukewarm bathwater, wearing a dark soaking wet shirt and no pants. "Yes you can save him! You can help Franklin, too! Why won't you?"

"I told you, I'm not his mentor," he starts. I step out of the tub and walk past him out of the bathroom. I'm caught in the doorframe when he finally says what I don't want to hear, but need to. "and you two can't both win the Games. The Capitol is -not- making that mistake twice."

The only sound for a long while is the sound of water dripping off my skin and clothes and pattering softly against the carpet, and even that slows to a halt eventually.

"Paisley, I hate this as much as you do," he tells me as he walks up behind me, "And I know it hurts, and I apologize, but the fact of the matter is, one or both of you will die. There's no getting around that, not with all the hope in the world."

My throat tightens and it takes a moment for me to find the voice to bitterly ask him, "And you'd rather it be Franklin?"

"I'd rather it be everyone except you." Scott answers, setting a hand on my shoulder. The wet fabric squishes under his touch and more water drips to the floor.

"Because that's your job." I say without thinking. Scott's grip tightens slightly on my shoulder. Another squish of fabric. More water. I don't have to look to know he's giving me the same serious look he gave me when I was still stewing in the tub.

"Do you doubt that I love you?" he asks firmly. I quickly shake my head. His voice softens a little. "Because I do. I do love you. Don't ever doubt that. Ever."

"I doubt you love Franklin as much as you supposedly love me." I say to him coldly. What is happening to me? I'd never talk to Scott like this at home, and the look on his face is silently asking the same question I am.

"Paisley, it's…" he starts, unsure of how to find words. "It's not that I don't love him as much. It's that I don't love him in the same way I love you."

Before I can voice my outrage, he thinks to pinch my lips together before finishing his sentence. I try to open my mouth to yell, but cannot, and the urge to yell dies eventually. When he sees I've calmed, he releases my lips, which ache immediately afterwards. It's the first time Scott's ever physically hurt me, which further reinforces the fact that I've changed before I've even gotten into the arena…

"I love you." he says firmly, no, assuredly. "I love Franklin, too. But I love Franklin the way you love Franklin. He's like a brother to me. You, Paisley…" His voice softens and his strong hands cup my hips easily. "You're my everything…"

It's times like this when I can't help but love Scott, no matter how angry I am at him at the time. My heartache is numbed as he pulls me to him and kisses me, but it does not depart for very long. Eventually, I push him away.

"Scott, if you're not going to help my brother, I will." I tell him, pulling off my shirt again and walking back into the bathroom. I feel him watching me, and he doesn't speak until I come out again wearing a towel over my saturated underclothes.

"…Paisley, helping him won't change anything." he says. I start to get angry again.

"Yes, it _will_, Scott." I growl defiantly, setting my hands on my hips. "I love my brother, and I'm going to keep him from dying. You should know how I feel, Scott, your older brother died in the Hunger Games."

This strikes a nerve. His lip twitches. "Paisley… Tawny can-"

"Tawny can't go with him into the arena." I retort before he finishes. "I can. I'm going to be my brother's sister, and nothing you say is going to convince me it's a bad idea."

"I never said it was a bad idea."

I open my mouth to retort again, and then I actually hear what he says. "…What?" I blink at Scott as he nods his head.

"An alliance may not change anything in the big picture, but it'll keep you alive longer, and the longer you're alive, the better your chances of winning." he explains thoughtfully.

I sit down on the bed, distraught that he still doesn't understand. "It's not about me winning, Scott."

"It's always been about you winning." he responds flatly.

"Not now. Now it's about me spending as much time as I can with Franklin. Helping him, being a good sister to him for what time we have left."

"Paisley, you looked me in the eyes and promised me you'd make an effort to win."

My throat tightens. I did promise, and breaking promises is not my strong suit. "That… was before I realized winning would mean Franklin dying."

"That's not something I expected you to overlook at the time…" he says disappointedly. I suddenly feel incredibly stupid and want to crawl back into the tub. I rest my head in my hands again as Scott rubs my back.

"Had I known, I would've been more understanding." he sighs.

My response is a nod. Nothing more. He pulls me close and kisses me on the top of my head.

"I love you, Paisley."

"I know." I say softly. "I love you, too…"

Eventually, my fatigue gets to be too much, and I just up and fall asleep in his arms, having a dream about a life without Franklin.

No…

Not a dream…

A _nightmare…_

000

~Franklin's POV~

I blink away tears as I start walking away from Paisley's door. I didn't har all of her and Scott's conversation, but I heard enough. So I just start pacing to help me stop thinking about it.

"Hey, Frankie!" I hear Tawny's voice call. "C'mere!"

With nothing better to do, I go and see what my mentor wants. She's sitting in the television room, watching the preview of the television special that's supposed to be on in a few days. She looks dark, and she sighs at the screen.

"What's wrong?" I ask her, looking at what she's looking at. Ruby Jenkins from District One is on the screen right now, recalling the last few minutes of her Games to Copper and the audience.

"I'm just wondering what Thyst and Ruby have in store for their two tributes. Both mentors are dangerous. More dangerous than Two, even. Out of all the tributes this year, the definite ones to watch are the four from One and Two, and that monster child from Ten." Tawny says. "We have to get you and Paisley up on a similar pedestal if you're going to have a shot at dethroning the Careers."

I remember the boy from Ten… He broke the little twelve-year-old girl's hand. I felt so bad for her watching the recaps… How is anyone going to stop that beast?

"How are Ruby and Thyst stronger than District Two?" I ask curiously. "District Two has that tribute academy."

"I never said District One was stronger. District Two is the one and only superpower in these Games. District One is more dangerous right now, because they have something that no other District has right now: influence."

Tawny turns the television off while I try to remember what 'influence' means. "Ruby's the most popular mentor because she knows how to get the crowd's attention, not to mention she's gorgeous." Tawny starts. "Did you notice that she wasn't at One's Reaping? Well, she's -never- at One's Reaping. It's because she doesn't want to risk revealing which tribute she's taking on until the interviews, when it's too late to make changes to strategy accordingly. She's a tactical tease."

"How are Paisley and I going to 'dethrone' that?" I ask. Tawny studies my face for a long time. Her eyes are rapidly shifting back and forth as if she's scrutinizing every freckle and every strand of brown, moppy hair.

"We're going to turn you and Paisley's negative situation into our greatest weapon."

The smile she gives me makes me terrified and excited at the same time.

**(A/N: And we're back! Sorry about that awful delay! Curse you, hurricane!**

**I've been looking over the remaining four train ride chapters and am wondering just how much change that they need… I'll make a decision about changing them sometime soon. For now, I have to work on this utopia project I've been putting off. n_n;**

**Sorry again for my month-long absence. Love you aaaaaaall! On behalf of the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, this is SH10, wishing you a happy belated Thanksgiving!)**


	23. Angry Fires

~Salt's POV~

I see Dawn gasp visibly, then wave her hand, gesturing for me to come look. With nothing else going on, and with everyone else either in bed or getting ready to go to bed in the compartment car, I shrug and step over to where she's sitting, peering out the window. We appear to be passing through District Three now. I don't think we've passed Six yet, so I'm pretty sure we aren't close to the Capitol yet. That must not be what she wants me to see…

I see them almost immediately. Angry fires rage all throughout the city, and in the air are dozens upon dozens of large hovercrafts just… hovering. It looks as if a curtain of dread washed over the city and I have to wonder what the heck happened…

My wide brown eyes get a little wider when I see, through the flames, a hovercraft's mangled corpse twisted into the ruptured head of the damaged Justice Building… Now it's apparent to me that something _awful_ happened… Were these the D3 'technical difficulties' that Nyx was talking about..?

Dawn turns to me and frowns. She signs to me, "What do you think happened?"

"I do not knew…" I think I reply. Dawn smiles at me slightly, so I'm sure I mispronounced _something_. "Do you think it could have been an accident?"

Her big green eyes grow thoughtful for a brief moment, then she shakes her head. I'm inclined to agree with her; accidents don't happen in the Capitol.

As District Three starts to pass us by and fatigue begins to cloud my thoughts, I lose focus on District and start to consider how interesting it is communicating with Dawn. I found out that she couldn't speak moments after arriving on the train and began to like her instantly. I guess disabled people are somehow naturally inclined to other disabled people. It's a little different communicating with her. She can't speak and communicates by signing, and I do by speaking. She hears me, I don't hear her. We're like two sides of a coin, I consider.

Dawn starts to yawn. It's true what they say about yawning being contagious; soon I'm yawning, too, and my mind is a lot more fatigued than before. "Big day tomorrow… Think we should start heading to bed?" I ask.

Dawn stands with a nod and scratches her head as she walks off to the compartment car. I almost follow her, but I decide to wait just a little while longer, peering out the window some more… As District Three's stout metallic buildings start to make way for the tall and stately old buildings of District Six, in the peace and quiet that I always have, I reflect…

I'm a deaf kid who just left his friends, his huge family, and his District behind. Within a few hours, I should be waking up to the glitz and glamour of the Capitol, where I'm going to be embellished and paraded, as if I'm an actor in a promo and not a kid who has a 1 in 24 chance of surviving this mysterious 'virtual arena'… I've managed to make an instant ally, who I'm definitely going to need, since she can hear and I can't. My best weapon is a pitchfork, of all things… What are the odds that the Gamemakers are going to throw in a virtual pitchfork for me to brandish?

I sigh and stand up. I'm much too tired and I don't feel like walking, but laziness has never been my strong suit, so I force myself to lurch like a zombie to my compartment, flopping onto the bed and going to sleep in my clothes. Sleeping is my favorite part of living, I consider. In my dreams, I can hear…

~Aylau's POV~

I can't even look… I squeeze my eyes closed, ignoring the irritating jaundice needling my eyes, and lift my hand out of the tingling pan of warm water. As soon as the air touches my tendered skin, I feel like my hand is exploding all over again and I want to scream out in pain. But I stay strong. I dig my good nails into the oak table and bite my lip until the tiny explosions start to subside. Slowly, I open my eyes again and take a look at the damage…

"No! Don't look yet!" our escort Phantay squeals. I gladly close my eyes again tight, once again forced to ignore the painful itching… "Brace yourself, deary, this will hurt a bit…"

*crk!* *crk!* *pop!*

I yell out in agony as my escort twists my middle finger until it pops back into place. There's a few-second delay…

*crack!* *pop!* *pop!*

Another excruciating wave of pain as my ring and pinky fingers are yanked out from being jammed into my hand. I grit my teeth, and am terribly close to fainting, but the pain soon starts to lessen in degree. It still hurts like crazy, but it's not hell anymore.

"You can open now, Aylau." Phantay says. I blink, fluttering my eyes open and examining my injury.

My right hand is so filled with underlying blood from all the broken vessels that it's comically swollen. The bruises clash with my yellowish skin and make my hand appear much worse than it really is. The only fingers I can't move right now are my thumb and my index finger, the two fingers I need the most. They are the most damaged, and shifting them around like puzzle pieces will not put them back together.

"Oh, dear… I wish I could just wrap a bandage around it and let it set…" Phantay sighs. "But there's no way those other two fingers can be repaired without surgery."

My throat begins to tighten… I've never had surgery before, and the thought of people in masks cutting me open while I'm asleep is… unnerving. Phantay sees my fear and runs a sympathetic hand through my thin brown hair.

"Don't you worry about a thing, Aylau. That brute won't dare to try and hurt you anymore with that modifier around his neck." she soothes. I don't remember much of what happened between when I fainted and when I woke up on the train with Phantay standing over me and my mangled hand was sitting in a pan of warm water. I saw Kyrain for a brief moment as Peacekeepers took him by the arms to his room, and there was a thick black metal 'modifier' around his throat. Judging by the way he was reflexively trembling, I assume that he was electrocuted. I've heard the term modifier before, and I think I remember seeing it before, but I can't place where..

"Where's Kyrain now?" I slowly managed to ask, my first words since my shaky goodbye to my afflicted parents.

"In his room, being restrained, hopefully." Phantay huffs. She opens her mouth to continue, but is suddenly cut off by the sound of splintering wood. Someone's breaking something nearby. Next is the faint sound of an auto-door opening and quick footsteps, followed by an ominous rapid clicking noise and the sound of an angry, pained roar.

Suddenly, it dawns on me. 'Modifiers' are what they call the shock collars that they use to control the behavior of wild and potentially dangerous animals… I see them around the necks of the 'domesticated' wolves within the District. Whenever they bark loudly or growl, the way they do at people and not at other wolves or other animals, there's a distinct fast-clicking sound before the animal collapses into a shivering scaredy-cat. Those modifiers are automatic, though, and only shock in short bursts. It sounded like Kyrain's was remote-controlled, which means they can shock him for as long as they please…

My brows begin to furl. Then I look at my hand and any sympathy that had built up melts right away again. He's a monster… He deserves to be treated as such.

"I-I'm going to go see what's going on. Stay put, Aylau." Phantay says, patting my head and walking off through the auto-door. I look at my hand and fret. How am I going to compete in the Games like this? When the other Tributes watch the recaps and see what happened… They'll think I'm a spindly little morphling… I'll be gutted like a fish…

Before I can start to cry, I hear the auto-door open up again. I think it's Phantay coming back to offer my more soothing words, but it's just my mentor, Vobien.

"Yeesh, is it as bad as it looks?" he asks, his lip twitching as he looks at my broken hand. He takes a seat beside me.

"I don't think it's _that_ bad. I can move three of my fingers, and it's pretty broken, but it isn't mangled anymore. He could've done a lot worse." I say with a shrug. "Still hurts really bad, though. What am I supposed to do?"

"Don't worry, Aylau. The Capitol is required to do all it can to make sure its tributes are able to compete. They _have_ to fix up your hand, at least enough so that you can use it." Vobien says, patting me on the back.

This makes me feel a little better. I'll be able, but I'll still be terribly disadvantaged… My liver disease has left me with very little usable muscles. Not only that, I'm only twelve. In 175 years, there have only been 4 twelve-year-old Victors… I rest my head in my good hand and carefully place the broken one back into the tingling warm water. I flinch again at another enraged growl and the sound of the modifier clicking. Kyrain is going to make the arena hell, I already know it…

**(A/N: I stayed up for days and nights, wasting school hours thinking about how I could incorporate Dawn into this chapter, but alas… I got nothing except a new pen name, so this is just a very slight rewrite of the very beginning of the chapter, combined with Ten's train ride. It works, I suppose.**

**I'll aalso be combining Eleven and Thirteen's train ride, and hopefully that one won't be as hard. T-T I'll press on, though. Too many of my stories have been cryogenically frozen, and I'll be damned if I let this one get away from me! Especially when I already know how it ends!**

**Stay tuned for the next couple of episodes, and keep an eye on my newest side project: Super Smash Brothers: Calamity Heart, by me, Calamity Heart, the author formerly known as Shadowheart10. n_n**

**I guess my motto can't be 'Until then, this is SH10', anymore. Any ideas for a new motto/catchphrase now that I have a new pen name? :D)**


	24. Show Time

~Chiro's POV~

"_Turn your eyes to the grand ol' sun_

_Dry your tears, little _*sniff!*_ girl, for your life has just b-begun…"_

It's extremely depressing listening to Ariana's forlorn and woeful voice sing tunes that are normally bright and cheery… I want to tell her to stop, but singing distracts her from crying, which is an even more depressing sound… I'm not feeling that strong, and I haven't been since I got on the train, so I just have my head rested on the dinner table, my eyes turned to Ariana, who's leaning back in her chair and still singing shakily.

"_Oh, how the moon shines bright…_

_How it's light fills my heart to the brim _*sniff!*_ with delight…"_

Ariana's mentor, Olive, is rubbing her hand soothingly. "I promise you, Ariana, we'll do all we can to help you survive, but you have to come out of this depression, or there won't be much we can do."

"There's never been a crybaby who's won the Hunger Games." my mentor Fletcher says bluntly, cleaning his teeth with a toothpick.

"Fletcher, you're not helping." Olive replies strongly. "She needs to be encouraged not censured."

"What's a better motivator than the truth? I've never lied to my tributes before, at least not on purpose, and I'm not going to start now because she's temporarily fragile." Fletcher sighs. "Listen, Ariana. You got screwed. That much is true. No one could've expected there to be a redrawing; there's never been one before. But if you're going to have any success in the Games, even _before_ the arena, you're going to have to get past that. Accept it. Embrace it. Use it to your advantage."

Ariana sniffles and nods slowly, trying to dry her eyes. Fletcher turns to me. "Alright, boy, you saw the recaps. What do you think of this year's crop?"

As I lift my head, I grimace as I start to feel a chill. I'm sure it's not cold in here; I can see a little bit of sweat on Fletcher's brow. It must be my stupid condition… The doctor in District Eleven told me what it was, but I can't be bothered to remember a name that long…

"U-Um… There are a lot of tough opponents… Hunter, Thorne, and especially that Kyrain kid…" I say with a shrug.

"Yes, indeed." Fletcher said with a nod. "Now we know who to avoid. What can the both of you fight with?"

Ariana and I just blinked at him…

"Alright, wrong question." he sighed, rubbing his temples. "What tools are you most proficient in using?"

"I can throw apples in pails things pretty accurately…" Ariana said shyly, rubbing her arm.

"So can I." I second with a nod.

"Two long-range workers, hm?" Olive considered. "If you can't defend yourself close up, I'm not sure I like your chances at the Cornucopia… I suggest practicing with close combat weaponry when training starts and save the long range stuff for private sessions with the Gamemakers."

"Agreed." Fletcher said, nodding curtly. He opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted by Feiffer's cheery voice.

"Dinnertime, everyone!" she says as she comes in, wheeling a long tray of food.

"We'll talk more after dinner." Fletcher said quickly, grabbing his fork.

~Ebony's POV~

If walls had eyes, I'm not sure even _they_ could meet my gaze for very long… I feel like the wallpaper might peel away at any moment as I glower at the wall closest to my bed on the train. I just concluded a rather awkward dinner conversation with Jinstance and our two mentors, Newt and Ticker. They seem cool… But they keep prodding me and asking questions I don't want to answer… And then with Jinstance cracking a joke every couple of minutes, and Cookie stuffing her face as if it'll all be gone tomorrow (counterintuitive, I know…), I just couldn't sit there anymore, so I left.

Sigh… _Everything_ has been bugging me since I got Reaped. The stress, the pressure, the competition… The mystery behind this Quell, it all makes me so scared, and when I get scared, I get annoyed.

I don't turn when I hear the door to my compartment open. It's probably Newt here to chew me out about how I'm acting right now, or Cookie here to ask me if I'm going to eat the rest of my food.

"You alright, Eb?" I hear Jinstance's voice ask. I'm a little taken aback that he had more than jokes I him and that he actually came to check on me, so I turn and look him in the eye. Instantly, he starts to feel intimidated, just like everyone who tries to keep eye contact with me. He's impressed me before with eye contact; not many people can manage more than ten seconds without their eyes starting to dart away, pretending to look at something else momentarily. He hasn't broken yet; he just continues to look uncomfortable as his eyes meet mine.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." I say with a shrug. "Just stressed, I guess."

"Yeah, me too." Jinstance sighs, sitting beside me on the bed. "Trying to be funny is how I keep from freaking out over all this, frankly."

His sudden burst of maturity surprises me… I can usually tell when someone is fronting to hide their emotions… Jinstance is a thicker book than I thought.

"I can tell, you're stressed, too." he chuckles, punching me on the arm. "That's fine. I'm sure most of the other tributes feel the same way you do right now. Except for that Kyrain dude… He'll be a problem, I reckon."

"Heh. Yeah." I say with a small smile. He's suddenly started studying my face… "..Problem?"

"Oh, no problem. I just noticed you have a facial scar, too." Jinstance said, crooking his neck and moving his hair, exposing the stitched-up wound that he hid on the left side of his lower jaw. "How'd you get yours?"

I run my finger along the dark scar on the side of my face… Just touching it brings back painful memories. My sister accidentally stole a pacifier from the mayor's office somehow… How she did it exactly is still a mystery because she doesn't like talking about it. Mayor Peach actually defended Acacia, saying that it wasn't a big enough deal to punish her over; it was only a pacifier. The Head Peacekeeper, however, brought up the charge of trespassing on the mayor's property, much more serious than petty theft. He exercised his inalienable right to inflict punishment where punishment was due, despite protests from the mayor, and Acacia, ten years old at the time, was meted 20 lashes, far too many for a child, in my opinion.

During the whipping, she cried out for my help and… I lost all reason. I knew what would happen if I went up there, but I did it anyway, and got met with a whip to the side of the face.

"Long story." I sigh. "How'd you get yours?"

"I, um, sort of fell out of a tree." he chuckles, scratching the back of his head. "About 15 feet. And fell on my face. On a rock. Yeah…"

I snicker a little bit. It sounds like it hurt like hell, but the way he says it is funny. He starts laughing, too, and I see in his eyes that he's not intimidated by me anymore.

There's a few minutes more of joking and laughing, but when Jinstance looks behind me out the window, he stops laughing…

I follow his eyes and see that we are extremely close to the Capitol. So close that I could probably hear the screaming 'fans' if I could hear anything through the soundproof windows. The darkness around us gets darker as we enter a tunnel, but we are suddenly surrounded by the lighted Capitol train station seconds later. My room's door opens again, and Newt pokes her head inside, nodding to us.

"Show time, kids… You ready?"

We both nod. Jinstance stands and starts to follow Newt out the door to his room, taking one more look at me and flashing me the toothiest grin I've ever seen before the door closes. I turn and look out the window again, swallowing hard at the cheering faces, screaming for our bodies…

**(A/N: And there you guys have it! The last of the train ride chapters! Wasn't hard at all, and there were no real changes I felt I needed to make! Adjustments on wording here and there, and all that. But the chapter was solid, otherwise! The next chapter will be a rewrite of the tribute arrival and opening ceremony. As of now, I haven't the slightest idea on how I'm going to rewrite it, but when I think about it, a lot of the story up from the train rides have been incredibly solid. I'll certainly look over them and make changes where changes need to be made, but I'm wondering if I should just repost everything up to where we left off in the Games. Opinions, please and thank you!)**


	25. They're Gonna Love Ya!

**(A/N: Per request from Demigodgirl1000, and per shared feelings, since I'd like to get back to the Games, as well, I am going to be reposting every chapter up to where we left off before. n_n Sorry for spamming your inboxes, those of you who have me on Story/Author Alert. :3**

**Hold on to your seats!)**

~Marie's POV~

I can hear the screaming already, and the doors haven't even opened yet. The slight gap in the bay doors of our train let in a small amount of the tumult outside, and it's _loud_. Agate and I are standing on either side of Harmonee, who is scowling crossly. The reason we haven't opened the doors and submitted ourselves to the clamor is because Ruby and Thyst had to make some last-minute touch-ups. I know for certain that they've done it to ruffle Harmonee's feathers; our two puerile mentors have made it a pastime of putting her beside herself with frustrated rage each and every year since Ruby helped Thyst win his Games.

"We're _reeeeeady_!" Ruby chirps in a high singsong voice. She and Thyst stride out from the compartment car, looking absolutely similar to how they looked when they left to get touched up, except for a glittery red stud on Ruby's forehead and a violet stud on Thyst's. There's no way those took a whole five minutes to put on.

"Finally!" Harmonee growls curtly. "Now, can we get into position so we can finally get this started, please!"

Thyst and Ruby both comically hiss at Harmonee, then take their places. Ruby takes Agate's arm in hers, and Thyst gives me a quick noogie before taking my hand. Slowly, the bay doors open and I can finally get a good look at what was outside.

The station itself is perfectly white, shiny, and clean, but the throng of writhing bodies within the station, surrounding us… They're shiny and clean, alright, but many of them are so colorful, it'd make the blind fret.

Before I can examine anything else, I feel Thyst burst out of the doors, dragging me with him. He lifts my hand into the air with his, and Ruby does the same thing with Agate.

"We're _baaaaaack_!" they scream out in that singsong voice again. The rolling wave of screams and cheers is overwhelming… Ruby and Thyst drag us through the crowd, shaking peoples' hands and leaning over to kiss people on the cheeks. Ruby and Thyst must be extremely popular, and it's not hard to see why. Their adolescent behavior must be like Capitol catnip…

I have to squint to keep my pupils from shriveling to dust on account on the endless camera flashes… Eventually, it's all too much and I close my eyes altogether as Thyst leads me blindly to who-knows-where…

~Jet's POV~

Ow… Dark spots dance in my vision as the screaming voices of the Capitol citizens start to dull down. Once the doors of the building I've entered are all the way closed, I can still hear their muffled cheers, but after a minute or so of walking, it's completely quiet except for the sound of my footsteps and Pyra's.

"Listen up, pretty boy. You're about to meet your prep team." Pyra starts, giving my arm a squeeze. "Don't ask questions, answer them. Don't object to their methods, especially not Hera's. They know best, remember that. For that matter, just don't speak unless spoken to. Got that?"

"Yes, ma'am." I reply. Pyra gives me a noogie.

"Don't even sweat it in there, kid. You're sexy; they're gonna love ya!"

Pyra stops following me and gives me a push forward to keep moving. "Door's ahead of you. They're waiting. I'll meet you on the other side, kid." Pyra says.

As I walk forward toward the door, I look around and notice that I'm completely alone… Alto and Rhymer were taken to the adjacent entrance to Two's section of the Remake Center by Laylark. I'm on my own in all this…

Nope. No. Nuh uh. It's too late to be squeamish and nervous now. I have to take whatever I'm in for like a man. I step into the doorway with a quick inhale and look around.

"Mr. Jet Hapler!" I hear a healthy voice cheer from beside me.

"Gah!" I jump in surprise, turning quickly to the pretty lady with stunning aqua hair who has her back pressed to the wall parallel to the left of the doorway. It looked as if it was her intention to scare whoever came through.

"We are glad to see you have made it." a gloomier voice says on my other side. I leap in shock again. There was a person standing to the right of the doorway, too… This woman had jet-back hair and an inky moon tattoo on her right cheek. Her eyes were a shining silver. I turn to face the two women, doing my best to calm my nerves.

"You scared me… Who are you?" I question, slapping myself mentally as I recollect Pyra's warning a second too late… _Don't ask questions._

The two ladies don't seem to mind, though. The woman to my right giggles, while the one to my left just gives me a soft, yet oddly chilling smile.

"I'm so glad you asked! My name is Asira and this is Juno!" the aqua-haired woman said, gesturing to the black-haired woman beside her. Juno smiles and waves at me.

"I am Juno, as she says. I am Hera's sister. You will meet Hera soon enough. We must make you presentable beforehand. You smell of dust and sweat. This will not do. Take off your clothes."

Her monotonous drawl and her strange way of shifting quickly from one subject to the next inundates my mind... It takes me a moment to realize that she just asked me to strip. "Huh?"

"Mr. Jet Hapler, how are we supposed to remake you if we cannot see _you_?" Asira giggles. "Don't be shy! Please take off your clothes."

"We have no qualms about taking your clothes off for you." Juno follows Asira with another icy smile. "As a matter of fact, we would be delighted to, would we not, Asira?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Asira cheers, looking my clothed body up and down and licking her lips slowly.

"T-That's quite alright…" I say with a shrug. "I can take off my own clothes."

And the two of them proceed to watch me fixedly as I pull my shirt over my head.

~Tixxie's POV~

"Oh, my goodness! I didn't think it'd be possible, but you look even cuter _without_ clothes on!"

I let out my fourth groan of the hour as my three stylists fawn over me. They've been swooning since I came in, but now that I'm naked and at their mercy, they're going absolutely bananas… I'm sixteen years old, and they're treating me like I'm ten because I _look_ ten… It makes me so angry I want to punch the wall, but then they'd probably faint from how adorable it would look.

"And can you imagine, Karen, this is all before we've even _touched _her! Just imagine what she'll look like at Beauty Base Zero! Jamieson is going to _love_ her!" my only male stylist, Vaughn, chimes. Karen, the woman who can't stop commenting on my cuteness, bounces up and down on her feet as she imagines me as a cherub, hairless except for the shiny golden waterfall flowing down from the top of my forehead to the back of my scalp and ending in cute little strands at my upper back.

"We must start waxing immediately!" Karen avouches, scooping my tiny form in her arms and carrying me over to the flat metal table near the center of the room.

"H-Hey, what are you doing?" I protest. "I have legs; I can walk! Put me d- Eek! Coldcoldcold!"

Vaughn, Karen, and my third stylist, Sul coo and squeal, commenting on how "my voice is adorable" and that I'm "so cute when I'm shivering"… Gag me with a spoon…

Under the detail lighting and the full-body mirror above me, I realize just how young I must look. My hands and feet are tiny compared to theirs. My face is round and pudgy and my bright blue eyes and lips are pouty, as always, and unfortunately, I'm forced to accept the fact that I have no breasts…

As I'm self-loathing, I don't even notice that Sul has told me to hold my breath as he slaps a wax-covered strip onto my arm. I realize a second later, though, and gasp.

"What the f-"

*RIP!*

~Hunter's POV~

I cross my arms over my chest and sigh as my mentors circle around me, giving me one last looking over. I just had the hair that was visible on my chest, arms, and legs buffed away. They've been at this for five minutes, and at this point I think they just enjoy the sight of me naked, quite a confounding thought, considering two out of three of my stylists are men…

"Yup! He's perfect!" Noyil, one of my two male mentors says at last. "Wies, go fetch Hyperion! Tell him that it's time he works his magic!"

My other male mentor, Wies, nods quickly before walking quickly out of the quiet room and down the hall.

Noyil has managed to busy himself with pacing and deep thought, but my female stylist, Nora, cannot take her eyes off of me. Her blatant scrutinizing, coupled with that fact that I'm pretty sure I know _exactly_ where she's looking, annoys me greatly. I almost snap on her, actually, but my head stylist, Hyperion, comes in just in time, giving me a quick looking over before handing me a robe.

"You've done well, team." his smooth voice speaks, addressing the others, but keeping his eyes focused on my face. "Put that on, Hunter, then come with me. We have much to discuss and little time to do it."

I don't have to be asked twice. Anything to get Nora's eyes away from my crotch… I throw the robe on and follow Hyperion without looking back.

"I've heard good things about you, Hunter." Hyperion says as we walk. "Since I saw your Reaping recap, I've been working tirelessly on a suitable outfit for the opening ceremonies. I think you're really going to like it."

"What's the idea behind it?" I ask simply. Hyperion just chuckles.

"Initially, I was going to design a costume based around fish and nets, but after seeing your Reaping and that it was raining, I had a revolutionary idea. An outfit that focuses more on the essence of District Four. The reason it exists the way it does. I've been doing my research, Hunter, and guess what?"

"What?"

Hyperion stops suddenly and turns to me with a smile before turning around and throwing the door beside him wide open. I peer inside and see it hanging on the rack in the center of the room. My costume.

"We're going to turn you into a god." Hyperion announces proudly.

~Meaghen's POV~

I stare in awe at the costume on the rack, and the closer I get to it, the less I can believe that it's real.

It's a very bright yellow dress that flares out in eight radial tips in the four cardinal and four secondary directions. Inside of it, I think I would look kind of like a UFO… White tights and yellow metal boots adorn the bottom of the outfit. The sleeves are completely transparent, but are covered in shimmering glitter that sparkles whenever it moves. I also have metal gauntlets that look a lot like the boots. Up top is a helmet with a clear visor and a glowing yellow antenna sticking up from the top. The whole costume is completed by the long flowing cape with a lightning bolt embroidered onto it.

"W-Wow…" I breathe out, completely amazed. Dula, my head stylist, rubs my shoulder appreciatively.

"You like it? Choux will be wearing something similar." she tells me. I want to sneer when I hear Choux's name, but I don't, because I'm far too enchanted by the amazing job my stylists have done in such a short time…

"I love this… I'm going to look like a superhero in this…" I gasp, reaching out a hand to touch the tingling fabric.

"I know you must be dying to put this on, Meaghen, but you must soak before you can, just to make sure you're clean of all underlying dirt and unnecessary hair!" Dula chirps. "Head down that hall and meet Jules and Harper. They're already prepared your bath."

Dula directs me out the door and points down the corridor where I'm supposed to go. I have to wonder why I have to bathe again… I took a shower on the train. But Helox told me not to question them, so I don't. I obediently head down the hall, running into Jules as soon as I turn the first corner. His accent makes it impossible to understand him, but he says something about baths…

Jules leads me into a room where I see Harper pouring greenish solution into a tub of already vile-looking water. Whatever he's adding turns the evil-looking bath a rich, soft and totally disarming lavender color.

"Just take your robe off and soak in this solution for about ten minutes, darling!" Harper says happily. "You _mustn't_ get out until we come back to say it's okay to leave!"

Harper and Jules wait until I've taken off my robe and dipped my body into the calm lavender bathwater before leaving. I just sigh contentedly. This is the life…

Suddenly, I start to feel an itchy tingling in my body that grows twice as intense with each passing second. Within a minute, I am trapped in agonizing pain… The soothing bath I had stepped into has turned into lava on my skin. I have to resist the urge to jump out of the shower and curl into a naked ball in the corner… I don't know how, but I manage to sit out the ten minutes, but as soon as the door opens and I see Jules' face, I jump out of the bathwater before he can tell me to get out slowly. The cool air against my tender skin is a whole different degree of hell…

~Kern's POV~

As the final piece of my costume is placed onto my head and I admire the work of my stylists in the large mirror hanging in the white-walled, I turn to Crane, my head stylist, and give her a warm smile. This outfit is perfect, at least to me.

On my head, I'm wearing a sort of beret with a golden number '6' stitched into it. On my body is a simple black shirt and an elaborate unbuttoned suit coat that's covered in tatters and manufactured tears; it looks like I've just stepped out of battle! Winning a battle wearing a suit coat… It's symbolism strikes me.

All over the suit coat are tiny badges, medals of honor, and such. My slacks are ripped at the knee, but this was not pre-manufactured. My head stylist ripped them herself because she said I "have great knees". Crane is definitely my favorite person in the Capitol right now. She's turned me into something that I've never thought I'd ever be: cool.

"So, Kern, do you like it?" she asks, her purple lips spreading in a wide grin.

"Like it? Crane, you've outdone yourself!" I start to praise. "I've seen your work on tributes from previous years, but this one takes the cake, for sure."

"Hm hm. They say that every year, my dear." Crane chuckled, peering for a moment down at her watch. "Well, since you're all bathed and dressed, and since it's getting close to midnight, I suggest you meander on down to the boarding stables to meet up with Sorrel and your chariot. You're scheduled to be a superstar in exactly 13 minutes and 49 seconds. I'll be in there with you momentarily."

With no more questions to ask, I nod my thanks to Crane before exiting the room and walking confidently down the hall. I don't think I've ever been surer of myself in my life! I've all but forgotten exactly where I am and why I'm _really_ here. All that's mattering right now is this moment. My moment to shine!

I stop in front of a large set of doors marked 'Bo. Sta.' There's a faint clicking noise within the door, so that must mean it's now unlocked. I take a deep breath… This. Is. It. With my chest poked out and my head raised high, I burst through the doors, ready to show the competition that I'm not afraid of them!

I look around with an arrogant swagger at all the… shiny chariots. Beautiful horses… …No tributes… And then it dawns on me. I must be the first one here… Crap.

~Ellie's POV~

I hate this. I hate him. I hate _everything_ right now… All this paint on my body is making my skin start to tingle… Although I'm duly impressed with how quickly they managed to transform me, that doesn't excuse them from what they transformed me _into_.

In the short two hours my prep team spent with me, they managed to dye my hair forest green and poof it up into a _wondrous_ afro… Then they spray-painted the rest of my body wood brown and took thirty minutes to detail my naked form so that I looked like I was made of wood. They put brown contacts in over my light green eyes before showing me my _actual_ costume: a very long skirt that is the same exact color and design as my body, and that's all. Yup, that's right. I am wearing _nothing_ on my chest. Not that I have anything to be ashamed of in the body department… And the thick paint and careful detailing make it so that I'm actually exposing as little as possible. But the sad truth still stands: I'm naked from the waist up.

Besides the lack of chest coverage, I was overall impressed with the costume. I thought I'd look like a wonderful forest fairy or a sort of dryad, until I actually put it on and discovered that they turned me into a damn _TREE_! Grr, I wanted to strangle them all so badly! But I bottled my rage, smiled, and lied, telling them I loved it. Now I'm a door away from total embarrassment…

I swallow whatever pride may have festered as I open the boarding stable doors. I sort of hope that I'm early so there's not many people who notice my entrance. I'm wrong. I'm actually one of the last to arrive… On cue, 22 heads turn to look at me. Then the looks start flying. Many of the boys look impressed, for fair reason… But the girls are a lot more varied.

I see Marie from One, who's wearing a sparkly black dress covered in purple and golden studs, give me a dirty look after her eyes go straight to my kind-of bare breasts. I do note that her dress is not completely opaque and she's naked underneath… The studs, however, are strategically patterned to hide her naughty bits. Guess she thought she was going to be the only one dressed like an abstract whore at the party?

Rhymer from Two is wearing absolutely nothing, save for a single clay-colored ribbon that wraps around her chest and waist to just barely prevent what would be legally defined as 'indecent exposure', although the whole damn thing looks pretty indecent to me… I understand a little more why Marie would seem upset. She takes one look at me, immediately realizes I'm a tree, and bursts out laughing. Bitch…

Tixxie gives me the most understanding and sympathetic from in the world, and seeing what she's wearing, I understand why. Her outfit is way too complex to describe in human terminology, but she looks like the most expensive and most adorable toy robot ever.

Bronwyn the mermaid is probably the only girl who didn't look up at me. She has on a long skirt that looks like it has rainbow scales on it, and is busying herself with making sure her seashell bra is tight and secure. At least she _gets_ a bra…

Sorrel, whose chariot is right beside mine, is the only one who actually looks somewhat impressed by my attire. I'm fairly impressed by hers. She's wearing a light blue elegant dress, holding a stave and wearing a crown with that ice ball I saw her clutching at her Reaping as the centerpiece. The stylists are starting to get better, for sure.

"Don't you dare laugh, Thorne…" I growl as I approach our chariot. He has his back turned to me, inspecting the inside of our ride.

"Laugh? Why would I laugh at- Holy!"

Thorne is immediately taken aback when he turns and gets an eyeful of me. After he recovers from the initial shock, he's amazed. To my dismay, he starts scrutinizing my attire, stepping closer to take my appearance in… I want to strangle him a little now, too.

"Ellie, your…"

"Yes, I'm naked from the waist up! I've gotten the looks already, Thorne, you don't have to-"

"I was going to say that your eyes are brown…" Thorne finishes with a brief blink. "I could've sworn they were green when I saw you last."

Damn. All of a sudden, I'm embarrassed… "It's color contacts… Just get in the chariot!" I snap. He shrugs and obeys, then I climb in with him, thankful that none of the other tributes are looking at me anymore, because they've now turned to Hunter as he walks in. I turn, too, and am simply stunned…

~Franklin's POV~

Paisley and I break from our hug to see that the male tribute from Four has entered the room. Hunter's hair has been dyed bright white so he looks both ancient and youthful at the same time. His entire body is covered in water, like they just soaked him through five seconds before sending him out here. He's not wearing a shirt, only a woven blue and green kilt with an elaborate pattern, and he's clutching a golden trident in his right hand. He has seaweed bands around his wrists and forehead, and his cold and powerful eyes scan the room as he approaches his chariot.

When Hunter's District partner Bronwyn first sees him, she starts to pass out, but bumps her head on her chariot and wakes back up with a start. She begins blushing madly as he approaches, and I think she might melt by the time they both climb into their chariot.

By my count, that was 23 tributes, including us. Paisley takes a quick look around to see who's alone, then spots Aylau. Her skin must have been painted for the chariot ride, because she doesn't look as yellow as she did when I saw Kyrain break her hand on her Reaping recap. Her skin tone looks fairly normal now. She's dressed like a wrangler from District Ten, with the poufy blouse, the big hat, and the spurs, and she's only wearing a big glove on one hand, the hand that got crushed… That must've been super-painful to put on her…

I hear doors open, and then he strolls in. Kyrain lumbers into the boarding stables, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. The expressions and stares he gets are all but unreadable… He's wearing a brown shirt and brown pants, both covered in coarse brown fur, and around his head is a band with two giant bloody horns protruding from either temple. A fake nose ring hangs from his nostrils… He looks like a giant bull, ready to charge.

As he passes us, Paisley pulls me close, as if he might lunge and swallow me whole if I'm too close. He ignores me, though. He ignores everybody, even Aylau, as he lurches his giant form into the chariot with her. There's no one who looks more terrified of that monster than his own District partner… And for good reason, too. I'd be scared of the kid who broke my hand with one squeeze, too…

I look up at Paisley to see if she's as scared as I am, but she's glaring angrily at Kyrain, and I'm a bit confused.

"Aren't you scared of him, Paisley?" I ask up at her, shaking off a shiver.

"Yeah, I'm scared…" she said, still holding the angry glare. "But I'm mad, too… That Kyrain jerk _broke her hand_, Franklin. He made her look smaller than she already is, and in front of all of Panem, too. No one deserves to be treated like that, especially not a twelve-year-old tribute… We need Aylau on our side."

My eyebrows rise. "Are you sure, Paisley?"

"Look at her, Frankie. She's not going to survive for long on her own. She needs friends in there, and we might just be those friends. You wanna go for it?"

"Well, sure!" I say happily. The more in our alliance, the better, I suppose!

It's about a minute before the chariots are scheduled to depart. The head stylists have started making their ways to their respective tributes' chariots.

"Chins up, you two! You're going to rake in the pity sponsors with these outfits!" my stylist Fade tells us. I look down at my outfit again, then at Paisley's.

Our outfits are almost completely similar. My base pink bodysuit is a mishmash of different colorful fabrics and patterns. It's kind of gaudy, actually, but I like it. What makes it special is that the pattern the fabric is set in makes it appear that in the center of it is half of a plain pink heart. Paisley's is almost a perfect match to me, but her pattern is a perfect mirror to mine, making it appear that we are two halves of a broken heart. Those who feel for our bout of unluckiness will certainly feel these outfits. We'll make tons of new fans within the hour, I'm sure.

"Remember, look downcast, you two. Lots of hugging. No waving to anyone, alright?" Paisley's stylist, Cyan instructs. We both nod.

"Good, good, good!" Fade cheers. "Get ready! They're going to start in ten seconds!"

Fade and Cyan both run off, leaving me and Paisley alone again. Ten seconds before we make our first impression on the Capitol… I pray it's a good one.

~Dawn's POV~

My heart starts to race as the giant exit doors at the end of the boarding stables open up, and the chariots begin to roll out, starting with District One. There's a television inside the boarding stable, so I can see what's going on. Marie and Agate are both wearing black with studs. With Marie, it's a semi-transparent black dress with gold and purple jewel studs, and Agate's wearing a solid black suit with green and red jewel studs. I think their angle this year was to represent their mentors as well as their Districts. The jewels must represent the luxury of District One, while the colors of the jewels represent District One's infamous mentors, Thyst and Ruby, along with the tributes themselves. Gold for Marie, whose last name is Gold, and green jewels for Agate, since I think agates are greenish. I can't remember…

I'm so distracted by the first chariot that I almost miss the second and third. Rhymer strikes a series of provocative poses, flaunting her barely-covered body for all it's worth, and the crowd is eating it up! Jet waves and blows kisses in his thick and sturdy grey suit, but it's Rhymer stealing the show, for sure. Tixxie and Trexler roll by, looking like cute little toys. The audience starts to squeal and coo as they pass. Now the cameras really start flashing.

A massive uproar bursts out as District Four's chariot starts to roll out. At first, Hunter just settles with standing regally while Bronwyn cheers and waves, but after a couple of seconds, Hunter wraps one arm around Bronwyn's waist and pulls her close to him, raising his trident high in the air. At first, Bronwyn is stunned beyond belief, but she starts to play along, placing the back of her hand on her forehead and throwing her head back, like she's swooning. Hunter swings Bronwyn's arched body to the other side of him, careful not to bump her head, and she lifts herself again to press her body against him, biting her bottom lip suggestively as she runs her fingers over his soaked chest. He responds just as lewdly by wringing his fingers possessively into her very dark blonde hair. I know this must be driving the audience wild, because I feel no attraction to Hunter, and even _I'm_ getting jealous with the way he's holding her and the way she's responding to it…

Salt pokes me on the arm. I look over to see that he's smiling at me. "I see that look in your eye, Dawn. You like him, too, don't you?" he chuckles.

I pout, indignantly signing, "No, of course not! Don't be ridiculous!" He understands and chuckles at me, turning back to the television. Thanks to his distraction, I missed the Five and Six chariots… I just manage to catch Seven, though. Thorne's outfit is covered in fake plastic bush thorns… It's the cheapest outfit I've seen so far, and Thorne seems to know it, but he still smiles and waves. Ellie, though, looks surprising as a half-naked tree. If I could gasp right, I probably would've when I saw her walk into the stables.

It dawns on me that there's one more chariot before we start rolling out… The sibling tributes from Eight, Paisley and Franklin, hug each other close as they start to roll out, and the crowd starts to cry out in sympathy. So much drama, and so much emotion… District Nine is all but forgettable… My dress is a soft yellow, like the dawn of morning, and I have a sun painted on my forehead. Salt's suit is eggshell white, but he has a crown of wheat around his head. We're pretty basic, actually.

The piteous applause turns back into mediocre clapping and cheers, like I expect, as we start to roll out. The camera flashes diminish significantly, and there are only a few roses thrown our way.

"Tough crowd?" Salt asks me, glad for him that he's unable to hear the awkward descent into mediocrity that District Nine took the chariot rides…

I nod to Salt, going back to waving to the crowd. Two disadvantaged tributes in the same District… A lot harder to pull off than you would imagine. There's a lot of work to be done if we're going to have any chance in the arena…

~Kyrain's POV~

As soon as our chariot starts its route through the crowds, I lift my arms to the sky and roar as loud as I can. It freaks Aylau out, and she looks ten times as afraid as before. Some of the members of the audience look scared as well. There's a few seconds of calm in the crowd before the ruckus starts up. There's a pretty even mix of cheering and booing directed at us. Makes no difference to me whether they hate me or not. I don't _need_ sponsors to win this. I'm damn well enough on my own.

Even our horses neigh in fear as I roar out again. The animals fear me as much as the people do. This stupid shock collar can't hold me back. They can send as many volts into my spine as they want; what doesn't kill me will only cause me to come back that much stronger…

I glance behind me at the two other chariots as they follow close behind. The District Eleven tributes are dressed up in ridiculous outfits covered in fruits. The squirt, Chiro, doesn't seem all that into it, but his partner Ariana absolutely adores it… She's bright, cheery, and waving to the crowd, nothing like the pathetic crybaby I saw at her recap.

Close behind them are District Thirteen's two tributes… Their bodies are painted like giant puzzle pieces, and some are blacked in, I suppose, to symbolize pieces missing… District Thirteen's stylists always made the costumes that were hardest to understand…

I shake my head, turning back around to see that we're approaching the President's mansion, where Centari is already set up, ready to give his speech. Our chariot rolls right up next to Nine's. When Eleven and Thirteen are in position, he taps his mike and begins to speak.

"Friends, tributes, countrymen! And women." he starts, getting a few laughs. "I graciously welcome you to the opening ceremonies for the 175th Annual Hunger Games. Standing before you now are the twenty-four bravest young people in Panem, to have put their lives on the line for the chance to make their District proud. Can we all agree?"

The audience erupts into massive applause again. Sickening… I cross my arms over my hair-covered shirt, trying to endure his drivel.

"Within a week from today, all twenty-four of these worthy souls will revolutionize the Hunger Games by submitting themselves to the Games' first-ever virtual arena, the likes of which Panem has_ never_ before seen!"

I swear to you, President Centari takes his eyes off of the crowd and looks directly at me as he says, "My, oh my, wonderful tributes, are you in for a _treat._"

There's no interpretation necessary. I'm going to be 'punished' somehow in the arena by inhibiting another tribute, that is, breaking Aylau's hand. Psh… Bring it on, Mr. President.

~Ariana's POV~

After President Centari concludes his speech, all twenty-four of us are led into a large building that will serve as the final home for twenty-three of the teenagers here… No, Ariana… I can't keep thinking like this! Sponsors will love happy cheery Ariana over weak and pitiful Ariana. I already shot myself in the foot by crying onstage at my Reaping. I can't afford to bum my rep anymore!

"This way, you guys. Heads high." Fletcher whispers, pointing briefly toward the elevator. Chiro and I both nod, turning up our chins and marching down the room, toward the elevator. Most of the other tributes are just talking with their mentors right now, and as we pass, they start to look at us.

"No fear…" I hear Olive murmur. I have no intentions of showing anymore fear. I make direct eye contact with everyone who looks at me, trying to look as strong and dignified as possibly in a dress covered in fruit. Very few of the tributes look particularly hostile… Aylau, Paisley, Franklin, and maybe Salt and Dawn. The rest look ready to kill something.

The only one whose glance I cannot meet is that Ebony girl's from Thirteen… Something about her eyes really freaks me out… It might just be the color, but those cold eyes are very unnerving… I quickly turn my head straight again, the first tribute in the elevator. Olive presses the button marked '11'. As the doors close and the glass elevator rises in silence, I just can't help myself. I start singing.

"_There once was a boy, oh a coy little boy, yes a coy little boy was he!"_

I open my mouth to sing the next verse, but Olive's beautiful voice stops me.

"_The coy little boy took a coy little toy in the boughs of a big oak tree!"_

I look at Olive and she smiles at me. "_Coy Little Boy_ is my favorite song. Sing some more." she encourages, rubbing my shoulder. "I'll sing it with you."

Gladly, I give a beaming smile and begin to sing the next verse with my mentor.

"_The coy little toy brought joy to the boy, brought joy to boy in the tree!_

_He leapt from the tree on 'One, two, three!' and fell and bumped his knee!"_

Olive and I can't help but laugh. The song is so childish, but so funny at the same time. Chiro even manages a smile. Fletcher rolls his eyes sarcastically.

"Do you know any songs, Fletcher?" I giggle, poking him in the belly. I haven't been this happy since before I got Reaped.

"Pfft. I'm too old for stupid grade school songs." he responds. I thump him on the noggin.

"Silly! That's not what I asked! I asked if you knew any!" I laugh.

"Egh… Yeah, I remember a couple…" he admits with a shrug. He really was serious about not lying to us!

"Sing one! Sing one!" I goad. "Please?"

"Come on, Fletcher. One song wouldn't hurt." Olive pressed.

"…Fine, fine. But only one." he sighs, clearing his throat.

"_Oh, plants! Oh, trees!_

_Oh, birds! Oh, bees!_

_Oh how, oh how do I-"_

"Eek! I love _Oh How Do I Love Thee_!" I blurt out. When I look and see that Fletcher has stopped singing and is glaring crossly at me, I prod, "Keep singing!"

"Nope. You blew it, kid. No more singing for me today." he grumbles, crossing his arms. Chiro and I laugh at him. Olive, Chiro, and I continue the song anyway.

"_Oh how, oh how do I loooooove thee!_

_Oh, sky! Oh, clouds!_

_Oh, faces in crowds!_

_Oh how, oh how do I loooooove thee!"_

There are worse ways to spend your last days alive, I realize. Surrounded by friends who love to sing just like me has to be the absolute best in my book!

~Jinstance's POV~

"Whoooooaaaaaaaa…"

I stare in absolute awe out of our penthouse suite's gigantic window wall, all the bright lights and shiny things down there… If I could just run around the Capitol for a whole day and do nothing else, I'd die happy…

"Ebony, come check out this view!" I call out. After a few seconds, my fellow D13 tribute has joined me and is admiring the impressive sight, as well. She doesn't look quite as enchanted as I do, though. Maybe bright lights and shiny things aren't what she's into.

"Yup, it's real pretty… I'm going to go wash this puzzle off of me. See you in a few minutes, Jinstance." she says, passing behind me and disappearing down a hall.

As I stare out at the impressive cityscape, something catches my attention in the corner of my eye. I focus on the little glimmer, and am a bit surprised by what I faintly see.

Ticker, my mentor, is sharing some rather strong words with Ruby, one of the D1 mentors… They're both standing in a dark alley, and are standing in a place where they are completely unnoticeable, except from the air…

Ruby has her arms crossed and is listening intently to what Ticker is saying. When Ticker is finished, Ruby has some words of her own. She says them a lot calmer than Ticker, though. However, when Ruby is finished, I'm completely taken aback by what happens next. My mentor takes a gun out of his coat, a coat that he wasn't wearing when I saw him last, and points it right in Ruby's face!

Ticker said he had to 'catch up' with some of his old mentor buddies and would meet us in the room later. This doesn't look like any regular 'catching up', though! Ruby's eyes train on the gun in Ticker's hand, and her eyebrows rise slowly. She says something to Ticker, as calmly as she was before. I have no idea what Ruby could've said that would make Ticker do what he does next… Instead of shooting her, Ticker's hand starts to tremble for a moment before he drops the gun into Ruby's palm. Ruby places the gun in her own coat pocket and smiles at Ticker, giving him a kiss on the cheek before walking away and disappearing into the shadows…

I watch as Ticker curses under his breath and kicks a trash can as he runs off into the shadows in the other direction. As he disappears, I see him take a radio out of his pocket…

"Jinstance? You alright? You've been frozen in that spot for a while." Newt says, stepping up beside me. Her speckled eyes try to look where I'm looking, but there's nothing there anymore of course. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing, nothing." I say with a shake of my head. "I… think I'm going to head to bed early. I'll shower in the morning."

As I would soon find out, I actually lied, because I would've gotten absolutely _no_ sleep that night.


	26. Turn Me Onto You

**(A/N: Welcome, one and all, to the first day of training! We're in for a heck of a lot of drama, today, I'll tell you that right now. ;)**

**To clear any confusion that may be rising about Thyst, his first name **_**is**_** Maximillion. But I feel like Marie and Agate would be better suited to calling him by his last name. Thyst is a whole lot cooler than 'Max', at least to me. n_n**

**If I'm not wrong, I believe this is how the days before the Games go: Day 1 is opening ceremonies. Day 2 and 3 are training days. Day 4 is training as well as private sessions, Day 5 is final preparations and training scores. Day 6 is interviews, and Day 7 is when the Tributes are launched into the arena. If I got anything wrong, let me know!**

**Today, there will be eight POVs. I'm not telling you who they are in the A/N. :3 Read and find out! There's also going to be a short surprise POV at the end! :D READ THE DRAMA!)**

~Agate's POV~

With an invigorating stretch, I swing my legs over the side of the bed, running my fingers through my hair. It's kind of messy now, but it'll straighten in the shower. I stand and start for the door, but a familiar voice stops me short.

"Sleep well, handsome?"

I turn and see Ruby sitting on the windowsill on the other side of my bed. I'm not surprised I didn't notice her before…

"Ruby, you know I have a girlfriend, right? Besides, you're twice my age." I chuckle with a sniff. She stands from her place on the sill and moves to sit cross-legged on the bed. I note that she's wearing what she wore yesterday…

"Yes, you told me on the train." Ruby chuckled. "I'm messing with you, Agate. I have to. Your father would expect no less of me."

"You still answer to my dad?" I asked, raising a brow.

"I never said that." Ruby answered with a smile, standing and poking me on the forehead. "Your father and I are old news. _You're_ my new priority now. But since you remind me so much of Marshal, I just _have_ to mess with you. You understand."

"Ruby, how long were you sitting there?" I ask her, expecting her to say something reasonable like ten minutes, or maybe something slightly creepier, like a couple of hours.

"All night." she says with a smile.

"What? You're lying. You didn't sit there all night watching me." I say with a shake of my head. "You're messing with me again."

"Nope. Not this time. I came back to the room at about midnight, saw you were sleeping, thought you snored funny, then sat and listened to you."

"That's… weirder than I'd expect out of you, Ruby…" I murmur, turning back to the bathroom door and starting to walk.

"Well, if you really want to know, I was feeling kind of sick and didn't want to risk getting sicker by taking my anesthesia tablets." Ruby sighs. I stop immediately.

"Anesthesia tablets?" I repeat. "Why do you take anesthesia tablets?"

"Because I can't sleep unless I take _something_." Ruby laughs, as if the answer was obvious.

"Anesthesia tablets are heavy stuff, Ruby! Why don't you just take insomnia medication?" I say strongly. Ruby raises an eyebrow, and I realize why: I must sound like my dad. Whenever he doesn't agree with something, he always starts to sound somewhat confrontational…

"Because… anesthesia tablets are the only way I can sleep without dreaming." she says bitterly. I'm almost taken aback by the sudden shift in seriousness in her voice. "Go on and shower. It's 8:45. You and Marie should both be ready and down in the Training Center by 9:30."

Without another word, Ruby walks out of my room… I start to feel a little bad when I reflect on how I yelled at her, and even worse when I grasp the scary truth about her words. Nightmares about her Games must be all she sees when goes to sleep… Now I'm starting to realize just how badly I shot myself in the foot.

I start to think about how I'll apologize to her as I turn and walk into my bathroom.

~Choux's POV~

As I run my fingers through my hair for the fifth time, I scowl crossly as the shiny golden flakes start to flitter past my vision again.

"Ugh, I still have glitter in my hair from that stupid costume…" I growl, vigorously tussling my hair again to try and get it all out.

"So do I; quit complaining." Meaghen sighs beside me. "And those costumes were amazing. We caught a lot of attention out there."

"You mean _I_ caught a lot of attention? I looked more like a superhero out there than _you_ did. You _still_ look like your tights are too far up your butt. Or did you _always _look like that?"

Meaghen gasps and glares at me, and she looks like she's about to try and punch me, but the elevator doors open before she can make a move. I can't help but give a short laugh. The gnome and the nerd from Three step into the elevator before it starts to descend again. They're wearing the same training jumpsuits that Meaghen and I have been stuffed into.

"D'aw, look, it's the tinker toys." I joke. The nerd's eyebrows furl, but he doesn't respond. The gnome, however, turns and glares crossly at me.

"What was that?" she growls.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot. It must be really hard for you to hear when your ears are so far away from everyone else's." I jab. Who needs my old band of cretins? I can mock the meek just as easily on my own!

"You wanna say that to my face, beanpole?" she snaps, turning and trying to look aggressive. The nerd is half-turned now, looking down worriedly at her.

"I would, but I left my microscope in District Five. Besides, what do _you_ think you can do? Nibble on my ankles? Sure; _that'll_ win you the Hunger Games for sure, Tiny!"

The girl's throat tightens and her eyes look hurt for a moment. Mission accomplished. Then her tiny little visage screws up in rage and she tries to jump at me.

"Tixxie, don't!" her District partner gasps, grabbing her by the waist and lifting her into the air, where she proceeds to squirm and whine like an upset kitten.

"Trexler, put me down right now so I can kill him!" Tixxie yells.

"No! You're going to get yourself in trouble!" Trexler protests, starting to have a harder time of keeping her in control.

"Choux, cut it out!" Meaghen huffs. "There's no need for this!"

I open my mouth to respond, but the elevator doors open up to the Training Center and I smile instead.

"Out of my way!" I yell, pushing past Meaghen and Trexler to step out of the elevator first.

The giant digital clock on the ceiling says that it's 9:58. We're two minutes early, but everyone else is here already except for me, Meaghen, and District Three. They look like they've been waiting for a while. Ugh… Do these sorry losers have nothing better to do but come early to training? They're just going to lose to me anyway… I shake my head sadly as I take my place atop the MD5 circle. To my right is the FD5, where Meaghen's going to stand if she can ever waddle her way up here… To my left is FD4. That bronze-y haired mermaid hussy who floozed it up in the arms of her partner, who I assume was trying to portray Oceanus with that gaudy deity getup, doesn't look half as sensual and confident now as she did last night. Pfft.

Right in front of us, in the center of the ring of twenty-four circles, is… wait for it… _another_ circle. This one isn't marked, and it's a bit bigger than the other circles. By the time Meaghen, Trexler, and Tixxie have taken their positions, the clock above us strikes 10:00, and there is a single low and drawn-out beep noise. When the noise ceases, the large circle in the center of the ring reveals itself as a platform elevator by descending quickly and leaving an empty dark hole. A few seconds pass, then the circle rises back into place, only this time, it's carrying a woman on it. A woman with cold dark brown eyes and bright blonde straight hair. She looks around at her crop this year and looks frankly disappointed. I don't blame her at all.

"Alright, tributes, listen up and listen hard, because I _don't_ repeat myself." she starts, looking briefly around at all of us. I can't believe how easy she made it! I open my mouth to crack the perfect joke, when…

"Sorry, what was that?" I hear the acerbic voice of the girl from District Two peal. She stole my joke! And worse yet, those beside here, that is, the other Careers, start to laugh! That could've been _me_! I decide immediately that I hate that dumb snide and cross my arms indignantly. The woman, who I realize is the head trainer, continues as if she had not been rudely interrupted.

"My name is Kelythia, and I've been assigned this year to oversee you sorry lot as you get yourselves into as good a shape as you allow yourselves before the Games. If you'll look around, you see several stations available for training that include both combat and survival. I know you all want to rush straight into combat training, but don't overlook survival training. It's just as important for you to know how to keep yourself alive as it is to know how to kill others."

Well, duh… I roll my eyes, and smile a little when some of the Careers roll their eyes as well. An idea starts to form in my head.

"Also, if it wasn't told to you before, I'm telling you now: At _any_ point before the Games begin, there will be absolutely _no_ fighting between tributes. If I, or anyone of authority, catch you, the odds will be considerably _less_ in your favor. Have I made myself clear?" Kelythia says firmly, to which many of the tributes mumble their assent.

"Good. Go now to your desired stations. Happy Hunger Games." Kelythia finishes, stepping past Agate and Marie and walking off deeper into the Center.

The circle starts to break. All the weaker tributes start to herd to the survival stations immediately… I'm jostled to the side as that terrifying Ten kid, Kyrain, shoulders past me to get to a station that I was standing in front of. It looked like weight training. He looks twice as strong as Dil from home does… And judging from what I saw in his recap, he might be more sadistic than even Clattem… Do not want. I turn and start to walk away from wherever he's going, barely realizing that I'm headed toward the survival stations…

~Sorrel's POV~

Everyone who initially walks over to the combat section is herded over to a large rack of gloves near the center of this half of the Center. Kelythia is explaining to us why we're here…

"Alright, seeing as so many of you are so eager to start combat training, I might as well just tell you what you're in for before you kill yourselves trying to figure it out yourselves. See that?"

Kelythia points over to a blue full-body battle mannequin that looks completely human except for a disc-shaped device in its chest. The center of the device was glowing white…

"Now, watch." Kelythia says, taking a throwing knife out of her pocket and throwing it with great accuracy at the dummy before ducking. The knife struck the dummy, but instead of sticking into it, there was a brief and dull electric buzz before it recoiled harshly back to where it came from, flying right over Kelythia's head and landing on the floor. The hilt was shriveled and charred off, and the blade was bright orange. Some of it was melting. I just blink, completely stunned…

"That's the kind of armor that you're going to see in the virtual arena. Each tribute will get it when they're translocated into the arena. It's made out of the same stuff that powers our force fields." Kelythia said with a nod. "Right now, you're asking yourselves, 'Well, how do we fight armor like that, Kelythia?' To which I respond, 'Shut up, I'm about to tell you.'"

Kern shoulders me gently and rolls his eyes. I chuckle a little. This ought to be interesting.

"You won't have to worry about this in the arena, but for training purposes, you will have to wear these dampening grips in order to safely use the energy weapons that can damage the armor." Kelythia explains as she reaches behind her and takes a pair of gloves that look about her size off of the rack and puts them on. From a similar rack nearby, she grabs the hilt of a throwing knife. I'm unsure of what that's doing there until a glowing, electric blue blade materializes when the glove she's wearing touches it.

Kelythia winds up again and throws the energized knife at the dummy again, hitting it squarely on the temple. There's a much sharper and much more satisfying crackling sound, and the mannequin even shifts slightly. The hilt clatters onto the ground, its and seven of the ten lights on the device in the mannequin's chest go out.

"I just did seven points of damage to the dummy's armor. The number of armor points depleted, if any, will depend on the type and strength of the weapon used, the strength of the wielder, and the location that was struck. A good enough blow in the right place may completely destroy an opponent's armor, even if it's at full. As long as your opponent has at least one point of armor, no amount of trauma, no matter how dire, will kill him or her."

My eyes glimmer as I take the information in. All of this is very strange and new… I'm sure neither of Kern and I's mentors have ever dealt with the likes of this… Lucky me!

"What about-" Rhymer starts, but Kelythia interrupts her.

"Let me finish! Now, when your opponent's armor is completely depleted, they are completely vulnerable to regular trauma again and can be killed like a regular tribute. Armor can be restored be either finding it in the arena or having a sponsor deliver it to you."

"What do you mean, 'finding it'?" Jet asks on the other side of Kern.

"You'll see in the arena." Kelythia says simply with a nod. "Now, everyone come up and look for gloves that fit you, then grab a weapon and knock yourselves out."

I walk up with Kern and stat to look for gloves that fit me. This should be an interesting day of training…

~Aylau's POV~

I stand with my back against the wall, blinking as I flex the fingers on my right hand. Last night, I was taken to the infirmary shortly after the chariot rides ended. I remember them plunging a needle into my neck, and the next thing I remember, I'm waking up in my bed with a strange device on my hand… It looks like a highly advanced skeletal glove with miniature hydraulics and pistons that move when I move…

Vobien called it a M.E.E.P., a 'mechanized exo-external prosthetic. It's supposed to act as the bones in my hand while they set and heal. I can do anything I could do before, which is really cool, but it's really strange, too…

"Aylau?" I hear a voice call for me. I jump in fear, gasping and looking up at Paisley, one of The Siblings from Eight.

"Y-Yeah..?" I ask, disarmed by her friendly smile. She kneels down so we can talk eye to eye.

"I've been seeing you around occasionally. You look like you need a friend. That Kyrain seems like bad company." she says soothingly as she runs a sympathetic hand through my hair.

I shiver every time I hear Kyrain's name… I've never been more scared of any single human being in my entire life. President Centari is a close second, but that's only because I don't really know Panem's President… "Y-Yeah, I suppose…"

"My brother and I are starting to put together an alliance. We'd love it if you could join us, too. We've got the two tributes from Eleven on our side already, and Frankie is trying to talk to the two from Nine. If things go favorably, we could have the power to overcome even the Careers! What do you say?"

I open my mouth to say yes, but as I do, I see something out of the corner of my eye. Focusing harder on it, I see that it's the mermaid girl from Four… She meets my eyes for half a second before turning and walking away. I see her heading for the combat half of the Training Center… I-If I join this alliance, I-I could be in danger… But if I don't I'm in danger anyway…

"U-Um…" I stutter, looking down at my feet. What do I do..?

Paisley pats me on the head and stands. "I understand. Why don't you think about it for a little bit? I'll ask you again tomorrow, alright?"

I nod shyly and Paisley turns, walking back over to one of the survival stations. I think it's the knot-tying station. That one never made much sense to me.

I run my fingers over the cold metal of my prosthetic… What _do_ I do..?

~Jet's POV~

With one powerful energy sword swing to the temple, the dummy's armor drops straight from 10 to… 2. Dammit! Still not strong enough. I stab it in the chest to drop its armor to 0 before twirling back around on my heel to run the blade across the dummy's throat. The 'lifelight' in its eyes dims quickly before going completely black.

I put the sword back on the rack and run a sweaty palm through my curled orange hair. I glance over to my right and see the girl from Four holding a glowing spear, eyeing a dummy 20 yards away very intently. As fast as a bolt of lightning, she cocks her hand back and hurls the spear, hitting it square in the chest. There's a splittingly harsh electric crackle, and the dummy's armor drops from 10 to 0 quicker than you could say 'Ow.' Bronwyn smiles. I smile.

"Nice throw, Ms. Mermaid." I call to her. She looks over at me and nods her thanks. "We could use someone like you in the Pack. You up for it?"

"Hm…" the girl murmurs. Her eyes drop to the floor first, then she looks over to her right. My eyes follow hers, and I'm guessing that she's looking at her fellow Four tribute as he brandishes a heavy-looking trident. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to have to decline."

My eyebrows rise a little. I didn't think she'd say 'no'… And I'm forced to wonder why.

"That's too bad. Any particular reason?"

"I guess I could say that I don't share your interests." she tells me, still keeping her eyes on that kid as she does. She turns back to me and gives me an apologetic smile. "Sorry again."

"That's cool, that's cool." I say, raising my hands to show her it's alright. "But just remember, if you don't stand with us, you stand against us, and those who stand against us typically don't stand for very long."

I can see the concern flash through her eyes as I turn and walk away. Rhymer sees me, puts the knife she's wielding back on the rack beside the dummies, then comes over to me.

"Mermaid's a no-go." I sigh. Rhymer looks over my shoulder at where I just left. I turn, too, and see the girl launch another spear into a dummy's chest, dropping the armor from 10 to 0 in one strike yet again.

"Yikes, too bad." Rhymer says with a shrug. "It's a shame. She's better with spears than I am. She'll have to die early. That kind of skill is threatening to the Pack."

I nod my agreement. "Won't be easy. I think she's in an alliance with her District partner."

"How won't that be easy? We'll just kill'em both." Rhymer said with a shrug. "We were going to kill Hunter anyway. What's one more death to add to our list?"

"It's not as easy as you make it sound, Rhymer." I sigh, turning and walking back over to the sword rack.

~Trexler's POV~

"Tixxie, look, I'm sorry! You would've gotten in trouble!" I try to explain as Tixxie angrily bites down into her cheeseburger, glowering harshly at me.

"I don't care! He made fun of my size! You know Trine and I don't tolerate that!" Tixxie shoots back.

"Tix, he would've snitched… I don't want you to have it any harder in the arena than you should have."

Tix stops mid-bite and looks up at me. "Wush thath shuposs t'meen?" she queried with a full mouth, squinting. "Are _you_ calling me weak, too?"

"Tix, you could beat me up with one hand behind your back… You're not weak. _I'm_ the weak one."

"Pft. No you aren't. You shot arrows like a boss today in training…" she scoffed.

"Yeah, after I had to figure out which way to hold it…" I sigh in response.

"Trex, you're a natural with a bow. What can I do, besides run really fast?" Tixxie sighs back. "Anything larger than a knife is too big for me to wield comfortably. I can't shoot, I'm not sneaky. _What_ then?"

"You're smart." I answer. "Smart people win sometimes, too."

Tixxie stops mid-bite again, though she waits and swallows before speaking up. "You think I'm smart? Everyone always calls Trine the smart one. _She's_ the one in advanced classes."

"You're just as smart as Trine is. Your smarts are just… geared differently. You're a strategist. _No one_ can beat you in Pipes and Levers."

This gets Tixxie laughing a little. "Meh… Thanks, Trex, I guess you're right."

One of my eyebrows drop as I realize something… This is the first time I've seen Tixxie smile since the last time we _played_ Pipes and Levers, the day before the both of us got Reaped. It gives me a good feeling. I usually make Tixxie groan in frustration or kick me in the shin. Making her smile feels… different.

"You gonna finish those fries?" she asks, pointing to my plate.

"Um…" is all I can say before she grabs my plate and starts eating my food… This feels different, too. Tixxie usually doesn't ask before she steals stuff out of my grasp… What's going on?

~Bronwyn's POV~

Hunter and I are the first to finish lunch and get in the elevator to go back to our floor. I've been feeling so… different about him since the chariot ride. Every time I close my eyes, I can see it all over again. Him taking me into his arms, running his wet hands through my hair… It gives me chills. Now as I stand beside him, his arm crossed in that signature badass indifference that I've grown to admire, those chills come right back again, because I know that deep down, he's thinking about me…

"H-Hey, Hunter?" I start, smiling up at him. His eyes turn to me and he raises an eyebrow, so I continue. "Y-You were really good with the trident today."

He nods, wiping sweat off of his forehead. "Thanks. Oh… Yeah, I forgot to thank you for what you did yesterday in the chariot."

"No, Hunter, I should be the one thanking you…" I say with a blush. "You were amazing, Hunter. Thank you for showing me how you really feel."

"Yeah, the crowd loved-" Hunter stops short. Both of our brows begin to furl. We both turn to each other and say the exact same thing at the exact same time: "What did you say?"

"You first." I demand, unable to fathom if he really was about to say what I think he was about to say. In my heart, I'm dying to hear him say, 'The crowd loves how close we've become.'"

"I was going to say that the crowd loved our stunt and that we were sure to get a lot of sponsors… What did you mean by 'how I really feel'?"

It's not what he says that shatters my heart as much as how casual his undertones are… He thought of our moment on the chariot as a… 'stunt'…

"I-I thought… I _thought_ I… I just… Y-You mean you were just _pretending_ when you were on the stage?" I blurt indignantly.

"You mean you _weren't_?" Hunter shoots back just as loud. His sharp cold gaze starts to soften as he realizes the depths of what he just implied. "Bronwyn…"

"Hunter, how could you _do_ that?" I start to yell, tears starting to sting my eyes. My blood begins to grow cold, I can tell, because I start to tremble slightly. "How could you- You just… How could you just _turn me onto you_ like that without warning? How did you _think_ I was going to feel about that?"

"Bronwyn, you played along! I thought you knew it was a stunt!" Hunter starts to yell back. As the elevator doors open, I start to storm out. Hunter follows me. "Bronwyn, wait!"

"Hunter, how could I _possibly_ have known?" I wail out in sorrow. "You did what you did without warning! Yeah, I played along, but I put my heart into that! It wasn't a _stunt_ to me!"

I notice the passion and sorrow in my voice start to turn to iciness and anger, but I don't care! I have every right to be angry. Hunter opens his mouth, but I stop him.

"_No! SHUT UP!_ You made a fool out of me, yesterday, Hunter! I didn't care about the sponsors! I didn't care about the crowd! In that moment, I cared about you *sniff!*, a-and you toyed with my emotions! _What am I to you?_"

The tears roll down my face now. Hunter looks absolutely stunned. I turn to continue storming off, and Hunter grabs me by the arm. "Bronwyn!"

"No, stop it! Let go of me! _I hate you_!" I scream out without thinking. Hunter freezes solid, and I see something faint in his eyes that I've never ever seen in him before: pain.

"What's with all the screaming? What's going on here?" I hear Thetis's voice question behind me. That pain in Hunter's eyes quickly melts into anger though. I yelp out, raising my hands to my face in fear of him hitting me. The blow never comes, though. Instead, heavy footsteps begin to storm away from me after he suddenly lets go of my arm. I drop my hands to see him slam a button on the elevator and walk inside. He doesn't even turn around when he walks in. His back is to me as the doors close behind him and he begins to rise.

I bawl out in anguish and begin to squall my eyes out as I push past Thetis and Nere and sprint off as quickly as I can to my room. In the blindness of my tears, I bump my legs against the glass coffee table and needles of pain shoot up my leg and hip. I don't even care, though. I continue to half-run, half-limp to my room, ignoring Thetis's cries for me to wait, and Nere's demands to know what happened. I burst into my room and lock the door behind me before collapsing onto my bed, burying my face into the pillow, and crying as loudly as I can. What have I done..? Why did he do it..? I try my best to dredge up some sense in all this, but all that I find inside me is cold emptiness…

~Hyperion's POV~

I stare out at the evening sun as it rests for a time, under the earth we can see… The sky above is turning a rich purple, and the lights of the city are starting to turn on to keep us lighted into the evening. It's this part of the evening, right before all the lights are turn on, that is perhaps the darkest Panem is during the 24-hour day...

I turn back around in my chair, pressing a button underneath my desk. A hologram appears, showing me Hunter's still-incomplete interview outfit. Before I have a chance to fully inspect the work and see what exactly still needs to be added, there's a thump outside. I quickly and casually, press the button again and the hologram disappears.

Usually, when the doors open, I expect it to be Nora with an update on the outfit work, or Bronwyn's stylist, Hetia, proposing an idea for a collaboration, to which I ultimately decline in the end, so imagine my surprise when Hunter bursts through the doors, walks up to me and sweeps everything on my desk loudly to the floor. I don't show my surprise, though. I simply raise my eyebrows slightly. This expression remains on my face as Hunter slams his palms onto my desk and screams right into my face:

"_You LIED to me!_"

**(A/N: Yikes, getting heavy up in here! n_n; Share with me your thoughts on what's going on right now! I'm dying to hear what you have to say! Sorry I didn't expound on the cliffie I left you on last chapter. I promise, I'll get to it the **_**next**_** chapter. I think we can all agree that there's been enough drama for one chapter, hm?**

**Review, readers! Your opinions feeeeeeeeeed me! :D)**


	27. Big Swathe of Chumps

**(A/N: I love you guys so much! I don't think I tell you that enough! 3 As of today, my story has over 2000 hits! :D**

**I've got to find some way to reward you guys! n_n Unless you find the humble writer's hard work to be reward enough? :3**

**Demigodgirl1000, I love how you overthink some things and overlook others. n_n In the last chapter, Choux said that the weak started heading toward the survival station, and at the end he said he barely noticed **_**himself**_** going to the survival stations. A touch of subtle irony. :3**

**I know you all must be dying for the new chapter! Onward, then!)**

~Hunter's POV~

I slowly begin to come to, my head pounding and my body weak and lethargic… I have to force myself into a sitting position on the side of the bed, but then I start to get very light-headed, and my vision begins to get fuzzy and dark again.

I put my hands behind my head and rest my forehead on my knees, feeling warmth start to flow into my skull as I begin to recollect what the hell happened last night…

_The previous night…_

"You LIED to me!" I roared at the top of my lungs at Hyperion last night. Almost immediately, the three armored Peacekeepers that had been tailing me a moment ago burst into the room with their guns cocked and trained on me. They'd have shot me for sure if Hyperion hadn't raised his hand to them, signaling them to hold fire.

"Calm down, Hunter." he told me in a disarmingly stable tone. I however, was far less than stable.

"_Calm down?_ No, I will _not_ calm down! Why the hell did you do it?" I growled at him.

"To help you, Hunter." Hyperion said, able to remain completely relaxed-looking during my tirade. "To help you both. What you did at the opening ceremonies is sure to net you many sponsors. You _and_ Bronwyn. And my sources tell me that you two are two of the primary tributes to watch in terms of skill. You're doing perfectly, Hunter."

"If I'm doing so perfectly, then why does Bronwyn think that I _used_ her? Why does she hate me right now?" I started to yell again.

"You tell me, Hunter." he replied, sitting up in his chair.

"I… Bronwyn…" It took me a moment to find the right words to say. They were hard to get out at first, then I remembered once again who was _really_ to blame. "You! You told me that Bronwyn was in on the chariot stunt!"

"It was the only way I could be perfectly sure that you both were believable." Hyperion sighed. "Believe me, Hunter. Neither I nor Hetia wanted to withhold information from Bronwyn."

"So why _did_ you?" I demanded, squinting coldly.

"I just told you, it was the only way I could be sure you _both_ were believable." Hyperion repeated. The meaning of his words finally began to bud in my mind.

"You didn't have faith in Bronwyn's acting?" I accused.

"Frankly, no, we didn't." Hyperion admitted with a shrug. "I was certain you could do it right, Hunter. You're not the most charismatic person out there, but you're cold, dark, and strong, a natural alpha. But Hetia thought Bronwyn felt too strongly about you to be able to properly _act_ submissive toward you, so for the best results, we had to make her think what was going on up there was real, by _not_ telling her."

"Wha- H- What are you talking about?" I shouted in frustration. None of what he had said made any sense to me…

"Hunter, look at it this way. It was recorded that Katniss Everdeen was an amazingly inspirational figure to the rebels. She was the Mockingjay, after all. It was also recorded that when the rebels attempted to channel that inspiration through staging and fabrication, it failed miserably. We had _that_ in mind when we withheld the plan from Bronwyn. We thought she'd better submit to your alpha mentality naturally rather than her faking it. We were right."

I had understood then, but it only made me angrier.

"Did you even _think_ about how Bronwyn might have felt about it when she found out it was a performance? Do you even _care_ about her?" I began to roar at him again. My hands were trembling with rage at this point.

"We did, and we do." Hyperion answered with a slow nod. "We predicted something like _this_ might happen, actually." he said, gesturing around him to refer to the situation we were in. "And like I said, we didn't _want_ your or Bronwyn's emotional backlash to take place, but the end result dwarfed any and all defects we considered. You're a god among tributes to the people, Hunter. And Bronwyn is your goddess."

I was angry and stunned all at once, it… I had no idea what I had left to say at that point. It was so wrong and so cruel, but calculated and ingenious… I didn't know whether I should've thanked him, throttled him, or thanked him _while_ throttling him. As it turned out, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do any of the above.

"Remember, Hunter…" Hyperion started darkly, resting his elbows on his cleared desk and his head on his bright palms. "This isn't through yet. Bronwyn is _still_ your goddess. For your sake and hers, don't blow it."

He lifted his head from his hands and snapped his fingers. There was a sharp *click!* behind me, followed quickly by the feeling of a wet needle shooting into the back of my neck, fired from the gun of one of the Peacekeepers. I blacked out almost instantly.

_The present…_

And now, here I am, still unsure of what to feel… He told me not to blow it. What does that even mean? It's been pretty much blown to bits between Bronwyn and me already. Those three words still ring in my ears: _"I hate you!"_

I know what I should do. What my instinct tells me: to distance myself from her like I do with everyone else who hates me. How I feel about won't matter in the least when I'm translocated into the arena anyway… So why can't I do it..? Why can't I push her away more than I already have..? I could certainly do it in the elevator yesterday, but that wasn't entirely my fault, and I _still_ feel cruddy about how that went down. Why can't I fathom doing it on purpose..?

~Ebony's POV~

"Jinstance, I'm telling you, it's not black… It's _really_ dark brown."

"Well, sorry, I would've assumed since your name is Ebony…"

I roll my eyes at Jinstance, crossing my arms as we descend down to the Training Center for our next day of preparation. Yesterday, I spent most of the time in survival, working on my agility and flexibility. Today, I'm going to try my hand at combat. Jinstance is joining me, but… He seems different, like he's hiding something. His mentor Ticker is in the elevator with us, going down to meet with some of the other mentors for some kind of get-together. I catch Jinstance flashing him a glance occasionally. Could it have something to do with Ticker why he's acting strange?

We're the only ones in the elevator, but it stops at the floor marked '1'. The doors swing open, and I'm greeting by quite a sight… Marie Gold steps into the elevator first, her face covered with her palm. Her mentor Max enters, clutching his chest with one hand and wiping tears away with the other. He looks like he's been laughing. A lot. Then Agate and Ruby come in, and I discover why.

Ruby is clinging to Agate with her legs wrapped around his waists and her arms draped over her shoulders and gripping her ankles for absolute support. Agate looks annoyed and strained by the weight of his mentor as he stomps slowly into the elevator, gripping her biceps like the straps of a backpack.

"Gah… Ruby, how long am I going to have to carry you..?" he groans.

"Until I feel like you've made up for hurting my feelings!" Ruby declares, gently rapping on his noggin with her knuckles. "Ticker! So good to see you again! How's Newt?"

I turn and see Jinstance looking more uncomfortable than ever. I turn to Ticker, and he looks a little… well, ticked.

"She's fine…" he sighs. "You two doing alright?"

Thyst gives Ticker a thumbs-up, since if he opens his mouth, he's probably going to burst out laughing again. Ruby meets his eyes, taking a long time before nodding.

"Now that I don't have to walk anymore for a little while, I'm doing _just_ fine." she says, smiling brightly at Ticker. The elevator doors open into the large structure that we entered right after we got out of the chariots. Ticker and Thyst exited, and Ruby detached herself from Agate.

"You're forgiven!" she said, giving him a quick hug and leaving just as the doors began closing. We and the D1's ride down to the Training Center in awkward silence… When the doors open, Marie and Agate leave first, then me.

"Uh… Hey, Ebony? I'm going to go see if I can find the bathroom upstairs in the lobby. I'll come back and catch up with you if I can."

"Jinstance, I don't think that's allowed… Besides, I think there's a bathroom down-" Before I can finish my argument, the doors have closed and Jinstance is rising. Sigh…

~Marie's POV~

Within a few minutes of entering the Training Center, it's 10:00 and we all start to head for the stations. As I pick out gloves from the rack, that kid from Five, I think, walks over to me.

"Hey, there." he says, crossing his arms and looking down at me. "Mary, right?"

"Marie…" I correct, turning and walking up toward the mace rack. He starts to follow me.

"Yeah, I knew that. Name's Choux. I was watching you and the other Careers yesterday, after I sized up the competition in the survival stations. Bunch of spindly weaklings."

A flash of anger strengthened my swinging arm as it smashed my mace into the side of the dummy's head and dropped its armor to 0. My best swing yet, but I didn't care. "What was that?" I demanded, turning to Choux and glaring up at him. "Are you calling the Careers spindly weaklings?"

Choux rolled his eyes. "Pft. No, of course not. I was talking about the tributes at the survival stations. Why would I call the Careers spindly weaklings when I'm trying to _join_ the Careers? What sense does that make, huh?"

"You think you've got what it takes to join the Careers?" I question, raising one eyebrow. "You don't look like much."

"Well, neither do you; you're a Career, aren't you?"

My teeth begin to grit. Who does this cad think he is? "Alright, Choux, show me what you can do with the mace." I bark, throwing him the glowing blue cudgel. He fails at catching it, and my impression of him only gets dimmer as he swings it in a bad arc, just barely missing the dummy's shoulder. When he finally does hit the dummy on the side of the head, only 2 of its lights go out.

"Really..?" I sigh.

"Hey, I'm not good with maces, alright?" he declares indignantly. "They're too heavy… I… think I'm better with blades. Hand me a knife!"

He holds out his hand, expecting me to cater to him… I scoff, deciding to entertain this farce for a little while longer, handing him a short dagger while pointing the blade in his direction. The boob didn't even know that you _never_ take a knife by the blade.

He tries to use the knife, and has more success in hitting the dummy, but he has absolutely no grace or finesse with it, and it takes him several wild swings to drop the armor to 0.

"Choux, you're horrible. I don't think-" I start.

"Shut up! I'm just not good with short range weaponry, duh! Give me a bow and I'll blow your mind for sure, I bet!" he blurts.

"I don't have time for this." I sigh, picking up the mace he so classily deposited onto the floor and walking over to another dummy.

"I'll show you! You just see my training scores! Then you'll be _begging_ for me to join you, you… You… pork face!"

I stop and turn to him, squinting daggers and running my finger slowly across my throat. He seems to get the picture, but rolls his eyes and scoffs, storming off to the bows and arrows.

"What was that all about?" Agate asked, wiping sweat off of his forehead as he walked up to me.

"Eh… Nothing important." I tell him with a shrug. "You seen Rhymer?"

~Rhymer's POV~

Something about the hissing of sink water annoys me, I realize as I wash my hands. I didn't want to have to waste five minutes taking a bathroom break, but I couldn't hold it anymore… Stupid bladder.

I'm also annoyed by how 'user-friendly' these Capitol sinks are… In District Two, we have to use wrist strength to turn faucets. The fatties here just have to hold their hands under the head and water just flows out. I don't like having things made _this_ easy for me… I'm used to work. These people in the Capitol have probably never had a day of hard work in their lives. Making more gaudily colorful Capitol babies is probably the most exercise the majority of the population has gotten, and I wouldn't have put it past them to find a way to dumb _that_ down…

As I reflect on how much is wrong in this place, the bathroom door opens and I reflexively look up.

"Oh, hey, Ms. Mermaid." I say with a quick roll of my eyes as Bronwyn walks into the bathroom. I expect her to say 'hi' back, or something, but she surprises me.

"I changed my mind. I want to join the Careers." she declares. I raise my eyebrows and take my hands from under the faucet head, leering at Bronwyn. She speaks up again.

"I saw Jet talking to you after I declined the first time. I assume he told you."

"I put him up to it." I respond with a shrug. "And why should I let you run with the Pack? I thought you 'didn't share our interests'?"

"I had a… change of heart." Bronwyn said, her throat constricting for just a moment. That's the only clue that something's changed about her. The rest of her is rigid and a little bit cold. "You wanted me before; what changed?"

"Hmph…" I grumble, crossing my arms. "Give me one good reason why I should let you join the Pack."

"I know something that you'd be really interested in knowing." Bronwyn says with a slow nod.

"Really? What's that now?"

"There's an anti-Pack in the making." Bronwyn says simply. My brows furl…

"Anti-Pack?"

"A large alliance made up of Districts Eight, one from Nine, maybe one from Ten, and Eleven is forming." Bronwyn starts to explain, stepping closer. "From what I heard, their plan is to try and overpower the Careers at the bloodbath."

I try and remember who those tributes are… I'm not that good with remembering all those people. Let's see, that's… the Siblings from Eight, Franklin and Paisley, I think… Salt and… I forget the girl's name; the two bumps from Nine, I know… They're kinda weird. That morphling from Ten, Aylau, who's hand got broken, and the crybaby and the shivering shrimp that're from Eleven…

"That's a big swathe of chumps…" I realize with a scoff.

"They have strength in numbers. You have only four people in the Pack. They have at least five. Maybe six. The odds aren't in your favor. I can help even out those odds. If you want a better chance at making sure the Pack goes far, you have to crush that mob. I can help you."

Bronwyn and I just stare at each other for a long moment, before I finally crack a smile and sigh.

"Meh! You've twisted my arm, Mermaid. Welcome aboard. But you'd better be right about us putting our energy into this 'anti-Pack' you've dubbed…"

I shoulder past her and start to exit the bathroom. "Or else _you'll_ be the one that I crush."

~Franklin's POV~

I look up from my spaghetti, glancing over at Paisley, who sat at an adjacent table close by, with Ariana and Dawn, the bigger kids in our alliance. I was sitting over with Chiro and Aylau, who just joined. All three of us are twelve, I realize.

"What were we planning again?" Aylau asks, flexing her prosthetic shyly.

"Oh, yeah! Yeah… Paisley wanted me to tell you guys, when the gong sounds in the virtual arena, we have to make ourselves as scarce as possible. We won't even try for the Cornucopia, she said. We just gotta group up and get out of there. After we find, eh… virtual water, or however we'll suss… sis… tain… o-ourselves, and when we're stable, we're going to start finding other tributes to take out and get supplies from, then we'll start for the Cornucopia to take on the Career Pack. If thing go well, we should overpower them and make the playing field a lot more level. Our prime target isn't the Pack, though."

"Huh?" Chiro asked, his eyebrows rising. "Who is it, then?"

"Kyrain." I say with a nod. "He's the strongest and the scariest this year…"

Aylau swallows hard, and Chiro nods slowly. I glance back over at Paisley, but it's Ariana and Dawn who are doing the talking now.

"Franklin, why are you and Paisley doing this? Helping so many of us, I mean?" Aylau questions.

"We're the youngest. Paisley's always felt bad for the twelve-year-olds that die in the bloodbath every year, and she wants to keep us from that."

"Yeah, but…" Aylau starts, then trails off.

"Huh?" I question. "What is it?"

"What happens afterwards? You know, if things actually do go right, and then it's… just us six? What then?"

I open my mouth to speak, but then I realize that I have nothing to say, because… I really don't know.

"I'll stay with the alliance, Franklin, don't worry. I was just… wondering. F-Forget I asked." Aylau shrugs the question off, looking down at her plate.

But I can't forget… It's the one question I can't stop thinking about…

~Ebony's POV~

I lift my head for the fourth time after dozing off. I was supposed to be watching past Games to get a better idea of what I should know how to do to win while Ticker and Newt were out, but I'm incredibly tired… Watching the Games isn't boring and it doesn't get any less gory, but when you're as exhausted as I am, nothing can really wake you up, not even onscreen carnage…

Jinstance accepts the challenge, though. "Ebony! Ebony!" he shouts from the hallway leading to the elevator.

"What the heck, Jinstance..? Why didn't you show up to training? You _need_ that kind of stuff in order to survive in the are-"

"Where's Ticker and Newt?" he demands without letting me finish.

"Um… Neither of them are here… I don't know where they went. Why are you so jittery?"

"Because! I was trying to follow Ticker and see what he was up to because I saw him and Ruby last night talking, and there was a gun, and more talking I couldn't hear, and then when I followed him, I lost him, but then I listened in on Ruby talking with the female Two mentor, and they were saying some weird stuff that I didn't understand at -"

"Jinstance!" I yell, shaking his shoulders. "Slow the hell down!"

Jinstance closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't know exactly what I heard. I didn't hear it all, but from what I heard…"

He takes a deep breath again, and I can tell it's taking everything in his power not to just scream it to the heavens. "At some time during the Games, the arena…"

"Yes..?" I goad, egging him on to continue.

"The arena's… going to be blacked out."

**(A/N: I'm so sorry this is coming to you so late. Had stuff to take care of, plus I had **_**mad**_** writer's block. . My first hit of writer's block since starting the story…**

**I didn't like how this chapter turned out, really. The beginning, I liked, but the rest started to trail… I may rewrite this chapter, but tell me what you think of it, first! Did I do good? Anything I should change, add, or take away? And don't forget to tell me what you think your reward should be for helping me break 2000 hits! n_n**

**Review, review, review, readers! Tell me how I can get better! Maybe suggest some POVs? ;3**

**Till next time, readers, and sorry again this isn't as good as I would've liked. Bye bye!)**


	28. Bright Pink Thong

**(A/N: Here we go, Day Four of Prep Week! I hope writer's block doesn't try and best me again. Today's POVs will be… everyone I haven't done yet since the after chariot ride chapter! That's Tixxie, Meaghen, Kern, Ellie, Thorne, Salt, Dawn… Kyrain… Ariana… …Chiro. Yikes! That's a lot of POVs! Ten, by my count, and since today is Private Training day, I have a sinking feeling that writer's block is going to hit me again… n_n; So, instead, I'm going to divide those into two days. Today's will be Meaghen, Kern, Thorne, Salt, and Chiro. Tomorrow's will be Tixxie, Ellie, Dawn, Kyrain, and Ariana.**

**Next chapter, we'll take a look into the past and **_**finally**_** see what went down that night between Ticker and Ruby! This Author's Note is too long! . Onto the action, then!)**

~Meaghen's POV~

With a determined grunt, I take a running leap from the platform, trying hard not to close my eyes. Everything seems to move in slow motion as I slowly reach my hands out. I can't mess this up… I've made too many mistakes here already. My hands are so close, and I can feel the stares of the Gamemakers…

I grab the horizontal foam pole in front of me with a satisfied smirk, swinging forward and letting go, falling several feet to the ground and rolling to a slow halt instead of landing firmly… Not the best landing in the world… It was a lot better than I was doing when I started out.

I wipe a little bit of sweat off of my forehead and start to pant, looking back up at the large jungle gym I just weaved my way through. It wasn't easy, and I don't think I made as good a time as made yesterday. I don't know what got into me, but I didn't like it. I don't think the Gamemakers did, either.

"Thank you, Ms. Culp. I think we've seen enough." I hear the eloquent voice of the Head Gamemaker say. I turn and see her looking me over with oddly chilling orange eyes. Her head twitches to the left, gesturing toward the door.

"Thank you for your time." I said with a nod. No one responds as I head toward the elevator.

~Kern's POV~

"That thing hasn't melted yet?" I look at Sorrel and ask. She's still fiddling with the orb of ice that she wore as part of her headpiece a couple of days ago in her chariot costume. It looks like it's gotten smaller than when I saw it before.

"Nope." she sighs. "I don't think it'll last for much longer, though. This is the longest it's ever been out of its cooler. It'll be gone by the time the Games start, I think."

"Wish you'd picked a better token?" I joke, pushing her on the arm. She smiles and shakes her head.

"No. I'm glad I picked this one. It's the only thing I've gotten right."

I look at Sorrel, but she's still looking thoughtfully at the slowly melting orb in her hand. "Gotten right? What do you mean?"

"I've been screwing up my whole life, Kern." Sorrel sighs again, looking up at me and giving a smile laced with sorrow and sympathy. "I was a street rat until I got caught. Heh. Messed up at messing up, I guess. That's kind of why I'm here."

"What's _that _mean?" I ask, focusing my icy blue eyes on her. I wish she wouldn't speak in riddles…

"I had a choice between spending the remainder of my life burning off my piled-up charges in prison, or become this year's Quell tribute in a fixed Reaping. Guess which one I picked?"

"You picked here over prison?" I repeat back. A lot of people I know would've taken prison over the Hunger Games any day of the week. "Seems to me like you messed up again."

I push her arm, showing her I was joking, but her eyes fell from me back down to her ice ball. Her palm was starting to redden from gripping the frozen orb

"You wound me, Colonel." Sorrel says bitterly. "If only you understood. If you had my eyes, my ideals… If you thought the way _I_ think, you'd pick this over prison, too. I can't be confined. I _won't_ be confined. At least here, I get good food, a nice place to sleep, room to move around, and a chance at freedom."

"Sorrel Migfly." a female voice calls over the loudspeaker. She stands up, starting to pass other waiting tributes as she headed for the Training Center for private sessions.

"Sorrel!" I call before she can turn a corner. She stops and turns to me. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean for what I said to hurt your feelings or anything…"

Sorrel gives me another curious smile, turning back and disappearing down the hallway. I sigh, leaning back in the dark grey plush chair. After Sorrel, it's my turn…

~Chiro's POV~

The dummy's armor gives a satisfying crackle as the energy bolt from the crossbow in my hands strikes it right between the eyes and drops its armor from 10 to 2. Still not perfect… I look behind me at the Gamemakers, but only a few of them seem interested.

I put the crossbow down and look to more difficult things, like throwing knives. Maybe if I get lucky, I'll impress them there. As I grab the hilt, the energy blade takes form. I squint at a dummy 15 yards away and make a blind toss. Amazingly, I hit the dummy, and the armor drops to 2 again. Still not perfect, but that's a lot better than I've been doing, for sure! I guess throwing apples into pails has its merits, too!

I rear to throw another knife, but the Head Gamemaker's voice stops me.

"Mr. Rayden, was it? You may go; we've seen all we need."

I furl my brows. It's only been about an hour, and I haven't had a chance to try my hand at close combat weapons, yet. I shrug and start toward the elevator. I hope I did good…

The elevator ride up to the eleventh floor is fairly uninteresting, but when the elevator doors open, faint singing reaches my ears.

"_Hush, little angel, don't say a word._

_Momma's gonna buy you a mockingbird._

_And if that mockingbird don't sing,_

_Momma's gonna buy you a diamond ring."_

Another super-old song… This one's unique, in that it really never ends, as long as your mind is vast enough. I walk to the main room, where Fletcher and Olive are watching old Hunger Games reruns.

"It's a twenty-four hour marathon highlighting all twenty-four of this year's mentors." Fletcher explained, before I could ask. "Right now, we're watching Pyra Johansenn, from Two. Bloodbath time…"

I turn my eyes to the screen just as the gong sounds. The arena looks like a giant set of ancient ruins. Instead of running for the Cornucopia, Pyra turns to the tribute to her immediate right and pounces, tackling her to the ground. There's a brief struggle, and it looks like the girl she's fighting gets the upper hand for a moment, but Pyra ends up victorious in the end, sitting on her back and snapping her neck. After spitting on the corpse, Pyra runs to join the romp that's rising at the golden horn in the center of the launch circle.

"Vicious…" Olive sighed, shivering. "I think that might've been the tribute I heard about that made Pyra mad during training in that Hunger Games."

"_And if that big red apple tastes bad,_

_Momma's gonna buy you a… shoulder pad."_

I smile internally. Ariana's been doing good for a minute, but now she's running out of ideas.

"_And if that shoulder pad's not… strong,_

_Momma's gonna buy you a… bright… um… pink… thong."_

Fletcher stifles a snicker. "She thinks we can't hear her…"

"Have either of you been featured yet?" I ask as Pyra shoves a sword into the chest of her last opponent, leaving her alone and Victor-ious.

"I have." Fletcher says with a nod. "My arena was an abandoned town of sorts. Didn't run into a single mutt. Must've been luckier than the Careers. The Pack was brutalized by some sort of giant mutt Day 3 in the arena. The cannons fired at most ten seconds in-between each other, four times."

"I haven't been. Not yet." Olive admitted with a shrug. "My Games weren't anything special, though. I only really killed three people."

"_And if that shiny coin don't… sell…_

_Momma's gonna buy you a… clocktower bell!_

_And if that clocktower bell don't chime,_

_Momma's gonna finally end this rhyme!"_

The shower water stops, and soon Ariana comes scampering out of the bathroom, her head and body towel-clad.

"Bright pink thong, Ariana? Really?" Fletcher chuckles as she runs past.

"Oh, hush, you!" she pouts in indignation as she runs past the couch. None of us can help but laugh.

"Have you ever had this much fun with any of your past tributes?" I ask our mentors.

"Nope." Fletcher says, putting his feet up on the glass coffee table.

~Thorne's POV~

"What about you, Ellie? What'd you do?" I ask, taking a sip of juice made from a fruit I don't recognize. Very tangy…

"Oh, wouldn't _you_ like to know?" Ellie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You're getting nothing out of me, Thorne."

"Hiss… Fair enough." I say with a shrug. Wish she wouldn't be so abrasive…

"But I have to thank you for sharing _your_ strengths with me." she chuckled.

"How do you know I wasn't lying?" I shoot back with a grin.

"Because as a trained liar myself, I have a knack for when people are telling the truth or not. I'm certain you weren't lying when you were telling me about your axe skills. Liars wouldn't _brag_ like you did." she said, rolling her eyes.

I shrug, turning to Flora and Faun. "Any nuggets of wisdom yet?"

"Don't hope for high training scores." they said at the same time.

"The higher your score, the more the Careers want to kill you." Flora expounded.

"And any other tributes who want to hunt high scorers to get sponsors on their side." Faun added.

I look back at Ellie and she's smiling knowingly. It makes me a little unnerved…

~Salt's POV~

I stare down at the darkened city below, conscious that in three short days, this may be the last time I see it. I reflect on myself and my situation, and no matter how positive I try and think, the odds are never in my favor in the end. I'm about to heave an exhausted sigh, but I feel a tap on the shoulder.

I turn and frown when I see Dawn's upset face. Her arms are crossed and her brows are creased. She's glaring at me, but there's a sadness behind her eyes, too.

"Dawn, is something wrong?" I ask. She responds by signing, roughly translating to:

"Salt, you hurt my feelings. Why didn't you join with me?"

"Sorry, Dawn… I just do not trust many of the other tributes, and being in an alliance that large seems dangerous in the long run." I sigh, explaining it to Dawn as best as I can. She's still pretty upset that I declined Franklin from Eight's invitation to join him and his sister in an alliance to oppose the Career Pack and make the playing field more level. Dawn _did_ accept…

"I wish you would reconsider…" Dawn signed to me, her brows creased and her eyes still laced with sorrow.

"Sorry, Dawn…" I say to her. I must sound really sad, because she turns away downcast, going to sit on the sofa and watch the reruns. They're on Kesler's Games now. Kesler is my mentor, but he's never around… He, Nyx, and Perly, Dawn's mentor, are always out somewhere instead of mentoring us… When they _are_ here, Kesler's drunk out of his mind, and Perly is too cold and quiet to talk straight to anyone, not even her own tribute. All we've learned about what to do in the Games, we've basically learned from watching reruns…

I'm rambling… I wish I could feel the same way Dawn does, but I just don't feel safe in that alliance… I have a bad feeling about it.

"Good night." I call to Dawn as I head to my room. I watch for a moment to see if she signs back, but her head only turns momentarily again, and her sad eyes meet mine again.

**(A/N: Writer's block strikes again… I'm so sorry if the quality is not what you'd expect out of me, readers. T-T I've never had writer's block this bad before! :O I hope it clears up quickly; these are the dangers of free-writing! .**

**Send me your prayers that I'll get it together, readers. Maybe it's the anxiety getting to me. I'm soooo excited about the Games, and I'm sure you guys are, too. It may also be because I'm not giving myself enough time to think everything all the way through. These updates are **_**daily**_**! I've never worked myself like this before! n_n;**

**I hope you all still love me, even though I'm having it rough right now, what with all this financial stress from the funeral my family's going through, me being kind of under the weather ad bummed out all sorts of things. Your reviews keep me strong, though! I know it may be hard because this chapter wasn't the best, but review! Keep me above water! Please? :3**

**Until next time, readers! Bye bye!)**


	29. Sponsor City

**(A/N: Here we are once again, ladies and gentlemen! To make up for the sloppiness of yesterday's chapter, instead of the six POVs I had scheduled before, I'm going to be doing those, as well as **_**more**_**! :D**

**This chapter will start at the end of the fifth day, when the tributes are hearing their training scores. Thirteen POVs, Hungry Gamers!**

**I'm wasting no time! Onto the chapter!)**

~Agate's POV~

"This is it, viewing ladies and gentlemen! Our Head Gamemaker, Josephine Kooper, has just sent in the final training scores for the twenty-four tributes this year!" I hear Martine Sparrow, the Capitol's chief newscaster announce.

"Ruby, Marie! Get in here!" I call down the hallway. "They're about to start with our scores!"

"I haven't left." Ruby quipped, rising from her odd position behind the couch. She steps around the couch and sits beside me just as Marie runs from her bedroom to sit between Thyst and Harmonee. After another few seconds, my face comes up on the screen in a little box beside Martine.

"First off, we have the results of Agate von Grievous." she starts.

"I think you're going to get a ten." Ruby announces with a nod.

"What..?" I ask, slightly confused. "Ruby, you didn't see my private training. How do you know I-"

"Ten!" Martine says on the screen, my face being replaced with a rotating number '10'.

"Ruby, how did you..? How..?" I ask, furling my eyebrows.

"Simple! Your name has three words in it and sixteen letters. Sixteen is made up of the numbers one and six. One and six is seven, and seven and three is ten! Easy, no?"

Thyst claps, as if what she just said made sense… I just shrug ad turn back to the television.

"Marie Gold…"

I see Marie bite her lip and start to run her hand across the scar on her arm.

"…Ten!"

She exhales deeply, and Thyst rubs her on the back.

"Nice work, slowpoke!" he jibs with a chuckle.

"Two tens from District One! Impressive show, you two!" Harmonee praised.

"Ruby, what was your training score?" I ask, suddenly curious.

"Mine? Nine." she answered. "Most of my tributes get tens, anyway, so don't feel all special because you beat me!"

Ruby pokes me in the forehead and I can't help but smile.

~Jet's POV~

"Two tens from One, huh?" Pyra purred with a chuckle. "Heh! I was the only tribute to get an eleven my year! Bunch of softies… What're you gonna give me, pretty boy?"

Pyra pushes me on the arm, waiting for my answer.

"Hopefully a twelve, but I doubt it." I say with a shrug.

"I should headlock you right now! You're never gonna win with that kinda attitude!" Pyra barks. "Don't hope for the unattainable and don't set your bar too low. Shoot straight!"

"Yes, ma'am." I say with a shrug, rolling my eyes. Pyra sees this, and she really _is_ about to put me in a headlock, but the newscaster's voice stops her.

"Jet Hapler… Ten!"

"Nice, kid!" she laughed, punching me instead of choking me. "You may not know how to shoot, but you've got everything else down, I guess! Wellwood, get out here!"

"I'm coming, geez!" Rhymer growled, following Alto out of the nearby hallway and sitting next to him on the couch.

"Rhymer Wellwood… Nine!"

"Pretty good, pretty good." Alto praised her, ruffling her hair, to which she laughed.

"Feh… Could've been better, though." Pyra chimed with a roll of her eyes.

"You have to comment on everything?" Alto shot with a frown.

"You know it, prettier boy." Pyra chuckled. "That's my job."

I turn back over to the TV, waiting to see the scores of my competition. It's Three, so I'm expecting a drop-off…

~Tixxie's POV~

I glare at the television screen for some reason as they start Three's training scores. Trexler starts to look a little sick as his face appears on the screen. Corla and Manx watch just as anxiously, and our newest escort since President Centari went back to being President, Xemena, isn't paying much attention and is instead giving firm orders to the Avoxes around the room. They're so quiet… It's no wonder I didn't notice them at first.

"Trexler Dapplewood…" the newscaster starts. Trexler starts breathing heavily into his token, the annoying signature paper bag of his. I want to just take it from him and throw it off a bridge sometimes…

"Seven!" the newscaster announces.

"Wow, Trex, great job! What'd you do?" I gasp, just as surprised as Trexler is.

"I-I… I just used the bow a little bit. I thought I was pretty good, but I didn't think I was seven-good…"

"You underestimate yourself." I say, smiling and shaking my head. I see the look that Trexler's giving me… It's an odd, almost perplexed one. I don't get why he's staring at me like that until I realize what I said to him. I _never_ compliment Trexler. Whenever I say something to him, it's a caustic remark about something stupid he's corrected or a gloat about a victory in Pipes and Levers. But he hasn't said anything annoying in a while and-

"Tixxie Finnegan… Five!"

Gah… I grimace as I watch the spinning five mock me.

"I knew I'd bomb." I sigh.

"Don't fret too much, Tixxie." Corla says with a careworn smile. "Five is actually pretty average. You won't be an immediate target."

I smile a little. At least there's that.

~Hunter's POV~

Bronwyn walks out from her room, taking a seat beside me just as Tixxie Finnegan from Three gets her score called out.

"Hey." I say, turning to look at her.

"Hey…" she responds back curtly, her eyes just barely rising to meet mine.

"Hunter Riverson…" Martine starts on the screen. "…Ten!"

I smile a little. Skewering a dummy with a trident from 25 yards must've impressed the judges more than I thought. A bit of a lucky shot, though, but it barely matters.

"Good job." Bronwyn says without looking up.

"Thanks." I say back, my lip twitching. I feel like I should say more, but…

"Bronwyn Lockhart… Nine!"

I open my mouth to say, 'Bronwyn, good score.', but what comes out instead surprises me. It seems to surprise Bronwyn even more. "Bronwyn, I'm sorry."

Her eyebrows furl at first, then start to rise a little as she turns slowly to look at me. "…What?"

"I said I'm sorry…" I sigh again. I can feel Nere and Thetis watching me, but I don't care. "I really had no idea that you didn't know about the stunt. It wasn't my intention to hurt you like that."

"It's fine, Hunter. I-It's alright…" she says, her eyes turning away. "I… I didn't handle that correctly. I acted like a bitch. I was just so angry… So hurt."

"So you don't hate me?" I ask, raising my eyebrows. Bronwyn shakes her head.

"I don't know how to feel about you anymore, Hunter. But I don't hate you."

Bronwyn stands up and walks back in the direction she came from, going into her room. I've gotten the guilt off my chest… But now there's concern taking its place. Things are changing between us, I can tell. But like Bronwyn, I don't know how.

~Choux's POV~

"_A THREE?_" I scream out, flabbergasted. "How did I get a _three_ and the dumb munchkin from Three got a five? This is ridiculous!"

"Calm the hell down! Tixxie obviously did better than-"

"Shut up!" I shout at Meaghen. The little baby flinches. "Those stupid Gamemakers are just jealous! They hate me because I'm too good for these Games. They _know_ I'll win."

I storm off to my room just as I hear that Meaghen got a five. Stupid scabs… I _know_ I got better than a dumb three! I'll show them! I'll show _all_ of them!

~Sorrel's POV~

"Sorrel Migfly… Six!"

I heave a sigh of relief. I thought I would've gotten lower, but I'm glad to have gotten away with that. Kern got an eight, and he's stoked about it.

"Good job, Sorrel! Good job!" Mona, my mentor, praised, patting me on the shoulder.

"Yup, you did good, Sorrel." Kern chuckled, giving me a noogie. I don't say anything. I just enjoy the moment. I've got so stiff competition for sure, but I'm secure knowing I at least surpassed myself.

~Ellie's POV~

"Thorne Fagan…" the newscaster starts as Thorne's face comes up onto the screen. "…Eight!"

Thorne clenches his fist and mouths the word 'Yes.'

"Good job, Thorne." Faun congratulated, patting him on the shoulder. Smiling knowingly, I watch as my face comes up on the screen.

"Ellie Jaxs… Two."

"What? A two?" Flora gasped with a furl of her eyebrows. "Ellie, what did you do?"

"Nothing. I showed up and picked up an axe. Nothing else. When they saw that I wasn't going to 'entertain' them any time soon, they just let me go. I'm surprised I didn't get a one."

"If you wanted a one, you shouldn't have picked up the axe." Flora chuckled. "You showed them a little of your strength, and you implied the knowledge of your ability to _use_ an axe."

"Gah… Oh, well. Mission accomplished." I laugh with a shrug. I wonder what the other tributes are making of this.

~Paisley's POV~

"Franklin Brookins… Five!"

"Good job, Franklin!" I congratulate, ruffling his hair. "Better than me, I bet."

"Ah, don't think like that, Paisley." Scott says, kissing me on the cheek. He and Tawny are sitting side by side. Scott has one arm around me. Franklins sitting on the floor in front of us. My heart jumps a little as my face comes up on the screen.

"Paisley Brookins… Five!"

"Wow, I got a five, too?" I chuckle. "Didn't see that coming!"

"See? Don't sell yourself short just yet." Scott says, hugging me. Now I've got the interviews to worry about.

~Dawn's POV~

I sit awkwardly next to Salt as the D8 training scores are announced. I feel that the two of us have grown apart since he refused the alliance with Franklin when I did… Even though I have more allies now, I feel a little more alone without him in the alliance with me.

"What did you do in training?" I sign to him. He turns and blinks at me.

"I... did not see any pitchforks, but I substituted a trident instead. I think I did pretty good with it. The Gamemakers seemed plee-santly surprised."

I smile. Salt still manages to make me laugh with the way he messes up some words.

"Salt Auberdeen…" the newscaster on the screen starts. I point at the screen and Salt turns.

"…Eight!"

I gasp, signing, "Salt, you got an eight!" His eyes widen and a smile bursts forth. Before I know what's going on, he has me wrapped in a big hug. If I could gasp right, I would. My eyes go all buggy, and I freeze solid. When he lets me go and sees my face, he frowns, turning his eyes away.

"Sorry…" he sighs.

"No, it's alright." I sign. I feel a light warmth creeping to my cheeks, and I almost miss my score.

"…Eight!"

My eyes go wider. "Salt, I got an eight!" I sign to him quickly. He thinks I said the same thing I said before.

"I know, you told me."

My brows furl for a moment, then I smile again, pointing at myself.

"Oh, _you_ got an eight, too?" he gasps, impressed. This time, it's my turn to hug him, and it's _his_ turn to start blushing.

~Kyrain's POV~

I look down at my hand… Still shivering… This stupid collar is running electricity through me right this very moment, in an attempt to keep me docile… It's a slow current, but it's so annoying… Disarming, though…

"Kyrain Venn…" I hear the newscaster on the screen say. My head lifts, barely glancing at the little pup beside me, playing with her metal glove. As expected, she doesn't even try and meet my gaze. The fear still holds. "…Nine!"

"Heh." I snort, standing and walking past Aylau.

"Aylau Breelin… Four." the newscaster announces. Pathetic…

~Ariana's POV~

Oh, boy! Oh, boy! Oh, boy! In only a few moments, it's going to be our turn! Even though I'm sure it's not going to be as high as a ten, but I'm excited anyway. I had pretty good aim in training, and Chiro had it pretty good, too, he told me!

"Chiro Rayden… Six!" the announcer calls.

"Woohoo! Great job, Chiro!" I cheer.

"Plenty of sixes this year." Fletcher chuckles. Olive pats him on the shoulder.

"Ariana Rulan-Evans… Three." My joy starts to get bummed…

"Don't fret, Ariana. There have been threes who won the Hunger Games." Olive soothes, pointing at herself. "And I actually tried, too. I got lucky in my Games. You may just get lucky, too!"

I smile. This makes me feel a little bit better. I might just have a chance after all!

~Jinstance's POV~

"_It's all getting blacked out, Pyra, I told you. This is beyond my power."_

The chilling words run through my head over and over… I run my long hair out of my eyes, watching as District Thirteen's training scores were being brought up.

"I'm sure you guys did great." Ticker assured, patting me on the shoulder with the same hand that held a gun to another mentor's face three nights ago. A short chill races up my back…

"Jinstance Jambox…" the announcer starts. I groan, wishing they wouldn't say my full name… "…Eight!"

I let out a sigh of relief. I thought I was boring the Gamemakers at first, but I guess they got a little interested when I started throwing knives.

"Nice one, Jambox!" Ebony chuckles. I frown and glare playfully at her.

"Ebony Cress… Nine!"

"Cool, Ebbs!" I commend, extending a fist for her to bump. "We both did really good! Now all we need to do is kill the interview and we're in sponsor city!"

I put on as cheerful a face I can, but I'm still bugged… What is going on in this city with our mentors..?

**(A/N: Super short, I know, but it's longer than the original chapter I had typed out. n_n I've been so anxious to get to the interviews, and now they're finally here!**

**What with things getting a little busy in this little life of mine, please don't be surprised if the interview chapter comes up within two days. I don't have the time on my hands that I had before, and I planned on doing twelve POVs per interview chapter to make two and to get us to the Games as soon as possible! Sorry to have to break my awesome daily streak, but that's probably the way it's gonna be. :(**

**Pray for me, readers, I'm still struggling! n_n; Till next time, bye bye!)**


	30. Don't Blow It

**(A/N: Showtime, Hungry Gamers! This is the first of two interview chapters, featuring the POVs of every tribute from Districts 1 through 6! Tomorrow, I will have posted the second of the two interview chapters with the other twelve POVs!**

**TeamAvatar, I'm sorry that Agate's interview outfit is not what you initially submitted, but I'm certain that you'll like this one **_**much**_** better. ;3**

**Let's get this party **_**started**_**! :D)**

~Marie's POV~

"Ladies! And! _Gentlemen_!"

As soon as Martine Sparrow's voice booms over loudspeakers strung throughout the auditorium, I know that the fun's about to start. From here, I can hear the audience going wild. I turn slightly and glance for a moment at the rest of the colorful tributes behind me, the fact sinking in that I'm first… I'm going to have to set the bar, I realize. Better set it high.

"Welcome, citizens of the Capitol, to the Tribute Interviews for the 175th Annual Hunger Games! Now, without further ado, the man of the hour! The man who needs no introduction! Stand to your feet and put your hands together for COPPER KEEL!"

The giant silky red curtains on the stage part to reveal this year's tall, dark, and charismatic interviewer, who waves out to the crowd and shoots a cool smile before taking his seat. My breath starts to flutter… He's about to call me.

"Hello, hello, everyone! I'm sure you're all as excited as I am about talking to this year's impressive crop of brave young tributes, so I shall waste no time. My first guest is the brave young lady from District One who made a gesture of charity for someone she loved. I'd like you all to give it up for my first guest, Ms. Marie Gold!"

As the audience applauds, I force myself to take the short walk up the stairs that led onto the stage and step into view… I have a short little flashback as I start to remember what Thyst told me.

"_Be as cute and as clueless as you can dare yourself to be, Marie! Daintifully ditzy! Adorably asinine!"_

I breathe out and put on my cutesiest smile, waving to the audience, who immediately begin to cheer and gasp in awe at my outfit.

My dress is made of a soft mesh that hugs my body, but overtop of the mesh is a layer of giant plush and oversized marigold petals. The centers of the giant petals were orange-ish, but the very edges of them were bright yellow, giving my outfit a sharp and surreal look. I like it!

I sit down in the plush chair beside Copper's and he extends his hand. I put my hand in his to shake, but he kisses the back of my hand instead, right above my center knuckle. I giggle giddily, turning my head away bashfully.

"Ms. Gold, may I be the first to say that you look absolutely stunning this evening?"

"Hee hee! You may, Mr. Keel." I coo, winking at him. The audience sends wolf whistles and cat calls our way, and Copper chuckles.

"So, tell me, Marie, what's life like back in District One, for you at least?" he asks.

"Well…" I say, lightly pressing my pinky finger to my lip to give myself a thoughtful look. "I can't say that I've had it _too_ hard. My family's pretty middle-class. I live with both my parents, my grandparents, and my little sister."

"What was your little sister's name again?"

"Melanie Gold! I love her very much, and I hope she's watching right now! Hi, Melanie!" I cheer, smiling and waving into a nearby camera. The crowd just finds this adorable! I'm doing great!

"Hm, yes, you must love her very much to be so very willing to take her place in the Games. What motivated you to volunteer for her?"

The question nearly causes me to change faces, since I feel stronger about that. I keep up the cute façade, though, and smile brightly.

"I'd do anything for my sister, because I know my sister would do anything for me!" I answer proudly. The audience begins to whoop and applaud, so I smile and wave again.

"Were you aware of the girl racing you, as eager as you were to take your sister's place?" Copper asks with a small lift of his brows. That's right… Coral wanted to volunteer, too.

"Yeah. I had been considering volunteering, but I felt doubtful. Hearing that my sister got Reaped gave me the scare I needed to buck up and represent my District and my wonderful mentor, Maximillion Thyst!"

All around the crowded auditorium, Thyst's fans begin to clap and cheer loudly. My big cheesy smile gets even bigger as I flash my pearly white teeth to the world. Thyst's fans and sponsors helped him win his Games. If I can get those same fans and sponsors on my side, there's no doubt I could win, too!

"You're a good sister, Marie." Copper praises, putting a hand on my leg for a moment. "We've only got about two minutes left, so tell me about your time here in the Capitol."

"Oh, there's nothing like it! It's all so shiny, it's almost overwhelming! And that's just the city!" I start, my voice wondrous and airy. "The people are even shinier, and they're all just so pretty and colorful! I love the Capitol!"

This gets the crowd roaring, and it's a good several seconds before they calm enough for Copper to ask his next question.

"I'm glad you think so highly of us, Marie! Now, tell me about this ten in training. Anything you're willing to share?

"All I did was my best! And the Gamemakers liked my best, apparently! The other tributes had better watch out!"

Just then, the buzzer rings, and I am glad to have ended on a strong note. The audience applauds as I stand and shake Copper's hand.

"A pleasure to speak with you, Ms. Gold." he said graciously. I waved to him and the crowd as I take my leave, pleased with my performance.

~Agate's POV~

Marie gives me a high-five as she walks past the line of tributes. She really set the bar out there, and in a few seconds, it'll be my turn. I take one more look down at my outfit, trying to figure out what my stylists and Ruby were thinking… It's a shimmering all-grey suit. Grey suit coat, grey jewel-like spaulders on my shoulders, grey pants, grey shoes… I look extremely plain!

"Our _second_ District One tribute is a strapping young man with something to prove. Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for Agate von Grievous!" Copper announces.

As my fanfare plays and the audience applauds, I heave a sigh and prepare for embarrassment… But as I step out onto the stage, under the set lights, the ovation gets stronger, and I soon discover why. As soon as the lights strike my grey suit, it is reflected in a sharp red and green aura around me. I must look amazing..! Even Copper looks impressed as I take a seat beside him. My outfit is casting a soft green and red glow out on the audience, and they can't get enough of me.

"Good show, Agate! Quite an impressive display!" Copper praises with a light chuckle as he shakes my hand.

"Well, I have my awesome stylists and my mentor Ruby to thank for this. Leave it to them to pull a genius hat trick, huh?" I laugh. The audience starts to applaud again.

"Yes, indeed! Ruby was quite the smart little whip in her Games all those years ago." Copper pointed out. "But it's your time now. Tell me a little about yourself, Agate."

"Well, I'm a single child in a single parent household. My parents divorced when I was three." I start. The audience starts to purr 'aww' and other sympathetic sounds. I just shrugged. "My father's been married and divorced 4 times now. And some 'extras' in-between."

"I see, I see. And what motivated you to volunteer?" Copper asks with a nod.

"I've wanted to join the Hunger Games my whole life, for a chance at winning and doing my District good. Like you've said, I've got a lot to prove ad a lot to come back to, so don't think I'm giving up without a fight!"

The audience claps wildly, whooping and calling out my name.

"Agate, you _also_ got a ten in private training, along with your fellow District One tribute, Marie. Thoughts?" Copper asked.

"Both of us have earned our scores." I say proudly with a nod. "Like Marie, the competition had better watch out for us."

Copper chuckles and nods. In the middle of his next question the buzzer cuts him off.

"Ah… Thank you for your time! Agate von Grievous, everyone!"

The crowd goes wild as my shimmering red-and-green light reflects from my suit and onto the crowd again when I stand up and start to walk offstage. District One set it off, and now all that's left for us is to prepare to take on this 'Anti-Pack' tomorrow that Bronwyn told us about…

~Rhymer's POV~

I run my hand for the 482nd time over the texture of my dress, looking up for a moment as the audience starts to cheer. The dress itself is mesh, but it's covered in fake shiny rocks and pebbles of various sizes. Whenever, I move it sounds like wet rocks are grinding against each other. I find it _extremely_ irritating, but Pyra assured me that it sounded fine, and Alto assured me that I look beautiful. Oh, Alto… Agate makes his way down the steps of the stage, glancing at me for a moment. It's my turn now…

"Next up, we have our first tribute from District Two, Ms. Rhymer Wellwood!"

I put on a bright and charming smile and step out onto the stage, waving to the crowd and taking a seat next to Copper.

"Hello, hello, hello, Ms. Wellwood!" Copper introduced, shaking my hand. "A pleasure, I'm sure."

"Indeed it is, Mr. Keel!" I purr, batting my eyelashes and starting to shift around in my seat. Aw, hell… I'm going to have to sit like this for three minutes..?

"Rhymer, let me tell you, your chariot outfit was _quite_ the doozy." Copper chuckles. I giggle a little, too.

"Yeah, it was! I loved it, even though it didn't offer much warmth. Quite the chilly night that was!"

The audience starts to laugh, and Copper gives a little laugh himself.

"Are you ready for the Games, Rhymer?" he asked next.

"Mr. Keel, I've been training my whole life for this, under the best instructors that District Two has to offer. I'm _more_ than ready for these Games!"

The audience begins to cheer and applaud and I smile. It's true, after all.

"Now, your District's Reaping protocol interests me greatly. From the 101st Games and onward, it appears that most of District Two's tributes have been Reaped, when in the past, District Two has been renowned for its tributes volunteering for the Games. Could you shed some light into that?" Copper asks, nodding to me.

"Well, the whole process would take more than the time allotted, but I'll squeeze it into as small a nutshell as I can manage." I say with a smile. "Basically, the Career Academy in Two is divided into the underclassmen, ages 12-15, and the upperclassmen, ages 16-18. Upperclassmen are eligible for selection to participate in the Games and they're tested each year. Underclassmen just train for the testing. Those who pass the tests with the highest marks, me and Jet this year, are announced as the tributes. The Reaping Balls are just formalities. Laylark, our escort, already knows whose names to call."

"So, you're top of you class, Rhymer?" Copper asks, intrigued.

"That's right. I have ADHD, and it keeps me on my toes. I get tired a whole lot slower than most other girls my age. When I'm idle, I get _real_ fidgety, though…" I point out, squirming in my seat again. Sitting still for this long is making my muscles itch…

"Ugh, this all must be torture for you, huh?" Copper asks sympathetically.

As I nod, the buzzer sounds and I can't help but burst out of my seat and cheer out with the audience! Before I can think twice, I slip my squishy grey shoes off and throw them into the crowd, who goes ballistic trying to take a piece of me home with them.

"Rhymer Wellwood, everyone!" Copper says, shaking my hand again as I scamper offstage barefoot. Now it's starting to occur to me that my head stylist Ouranos might want those shoes back…

~Jet's POV~

I chuckle to myself as Rhymer's shoes go flying into the audience. She punches me on the arm as she prances past me on bare feet. It'll be hard to top that kind of pep. As Copper introduces me, I give my neck a swift crack and exhale. It's showtime.

"Give a warm welcome to Mr. Jet Hapler, everyone!"

I adjust my tie as I step onto the stage with a tall, bold swagger. Hera and Ouranos, my and Rhymer's stylists, decided on a collaboration, so my outfit is designed in a similar fashion to hers, only my suit appears to be cut from one large stone rather than made from many of them. I sit down next to Copper and shake his hand.

"Great to have you with us, Mr. Hapler!" he greets coolly.

"I bet it is." I joke with a laugh. "Nice to be here, too, Mr. Keel."

"Are you as confident as Rhymer is for these Games, Jet?"

"More so. I'm positive I can win; I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

"Ah, confidence is a trait the Academy looks for in its tributes, as well?" Copper chuckled. I laugh with him.

"Of course! They also look for strength, wit, and rugged good looks."

I run a hand slowly through my hair, and the crowd begins to cheer. Copper rolls his eyes and smiles.

"So, Jet, you got a ten in training, as well? Quite the strong one you are! Seems like a lot of the Career tributes got high scores this year."

"We always do, Copper." I say, crossing my arms. "Won't matter in the least, though. In the end, I think we all know who's going to come out on top! _Jet Hapler!_"

The crowd starts to cheer again, and in the middle of it, my buzzer sounds, and I shake Copper's hand and strut confidently off the stage, feeling sorry for the little tyke that has to follow behind me.

~Tixxie's POV~

I cross my arms, trying my hardest not to scowl, but it's just too hard… I'm bee crammed into the cutest and foofiest tiny yellow ball gown in the world… My stylists are playing on my child-like appearance, and this outfit will be just the thing to woo the crowd.

Jet Hapler from too is too big for his britches… He shoots me a mockingly sympathetic glance as Copper begins to introduce me.

"My first guest from District Three, I've been told, is a young lady with a world of expression and self-assurance fit into a tiny package. Show your love, Capitol, for Tixxie Finnegan!"

I sigh and march onto the stage, giving small waves to the audience. Many of them nearly collapse from shock when they see how adorable I look… Some people…

I climb up into the chair beside Copper's and her shakes my little hand.

"Welcome to the stage, Tixxie!" he starts warmly. "The rumors were true; you are 17 levels of adorable, my dear."

"Heh. Thanks." I say, rolling my eyes. "This dress used to be full-sized until they put it in the wash and let it shrink to my size."

This gets the audience really laughing, and Copper smiles. "The Reaping for District Three was _quite_ impressive, I must say. What was it like having the President himself as an escort for the train ride?"

"Incredibly awkward, just like traveling with anyone else taller than one and a half of me." I answer. The audience starts laughing again. Hey, I've got something going on here… "But really, it was interesting. The biggest man in Panem traveling by train with one of the smallest sixteen-year-olds in Panem? I smell a TV show in the making!"

The audience goes wild with laughter, and even Copper is laughing it up now.

"Tell me about yourself, Tixxie. What's it like from your point of view?" he asks after he recovers.

"I'm pretty small, pretty smart, and pretty. Me in a nutshell!" I laugh. "Yeah, sometimes it's tough being so little, but there are lots of things that make up for it. I can't reach the cookie jar, but I can high-five an ant, so there's that."

The audience goes absolutely hysterical at my wit. It's a few seconds before Copper can ask his next question.

"Tixxie, how ready are you for these Games?"

"I'm ready to win, Copper! Unless someone brought a magnifying glass as a token, they probably won't even find me!"

The audience erupts into another cacophony of cheers, laughs, and clapping. The buzzer sounds and Copper pats me on the head.

"It's been a pleasure! Tixxie Finnegan, everyone!"

I take a quick bow before starting off the stage. I did _not_ expect my interview to go the way it did, but I'm _more_ than happy with the results! I only hope Trexler can pull himself together to meet the bar.

~Trexler's POV~

"Coming to you also from the wonderful District Three, I present to you, Trexler Dapplewood!"

I exhale deeply as I step out onto the stage, glancing down at my outfit as I do. It's a bright white suit, but it's covered in colorful numbers and such. There's some algebra in a couple of spots, but it's mostly basic arithmetic. I wave out to the audience and take a seat beside Copper, who shakes my hand.

"Welcome to the stage, Mr. Dapplewood." he starts. "You nervous at all?"

"Whew, yes…" I sigh honestly. "I've never had to speak in front of a crowd this… bright before."

I'm not sure why the audience laughs, but they do, and I furl my brows. Did I say something funny..? They really are the brightest and most colorful people I've ever seen…

"Don't worry about a thing, Mr. Dapplewood; I'll take the questions easy on you. Now, tell me why you think you can win the Hunger Games?"

"I'm smarter than everyone else. I know, brains are underrated in the Hunger Games, but my mentor, Manx, won with smarts. Why can't I?"

The audience begins to clap, another gesture I'm not sure is merited… I don't think I said anything impressive, did I?

"What about this Quell, hm?" Copper asks.

"Oh, the Quell sounds amazing! A completely virtualized arena can be as beautifully complex or as utterly terrifying as the Gamemakers allow it! So much can be done with a virtualized arena that _can't_ be done with a regular one! And it's supposed to play out like a game, too! I love games, and I always have. I'm _very_ eager to play this game, too, despite the circumstances." I say before taking a breath. Copper chuckles a little, and my buzzer rings before he can finish his next question.

"Gah, I wish I had two more minutes." Copper groans, shaking my hand. "Pleasure listening to you Trexler! Good luck in the Games tomorrow!"

"Thanks!" I call as I start to walk offstage.

~Bronwyn's POV~

"My first guest from District Four, a young lady with dreams to spare, Bronwyn Lockhart! Big round of applause for Ms. Mermaid herself!"

Before I step out onto the stage, I heave a shaky sigh and turn to Hunter right behind me. His deep green eyes look right at me, and he gives a slow nod. I swallow some of the fear in me and make the careful trudge up the steps into the vision of the crowd. As soon as they see me, they go insane, cheering, screaming, and calling my name…

On my body, I'm wearing a very glittery and transparent green fabric that wraps loosely around my body. The garment was strategically layered so that it appeared opaque over 'certain' parts of my body, since I'm nude underneath this thing… I'm barefoot, except for jingly bands on my ankles, and on my head is an elaborate silver crown.

"Welcome to the stage, Bronwyn!" Copper greeting, kissing my hand.

"V-Very glad to be here, Copper." I respond as I let out a shiver to loosen up.

"Nervous?" he asks me. I give a little nod.

"Nervous and excited. For both the Games and the fact that I've never been asked to speak in front of so many people before." I chuckle lightly. The audience promptly voices their approval of me once again by cheering and applauding again.

"Have no fear, Ms. Lockhart!" Copper assured, patting me on the shoulder with his light, peach-tinted hand. "That's why _I'm_ here. Now, to start, tell me a little about home. Single child?"

"Not for long. My mom got the news that she was pregnant a month ago. After I get back from winning the Games, I'll have a _much_ harder challenge in store: getting ready to help care for a little brother or sister."

I give a big soft smile, and the audience begins to go nuts again, screaming 'Bronwyn!' and 'I love you!'

"Ah, so you're just as sure you're going to win as the other tributes?"

"More so." I say, trying to imitate Jet's voice. I even lean back in my chair and start to cross my arms the way Jet did in his interview. This gets a good laugh out of the audience. "My new sibling on the way notwithstanding, yeah, currently I'm an only child. My mom is _extremely_ overprotective of me, and was devastated to see me go, but my father has been training me for the Games, and he's excited for me to come back."

"Your mentioning of training for the Games reminds me of something. For a long time now, even longer than District Two, District Four's tribute candidates have stopped volunteering. Can you give us some insight?"

Uh oh… My throat tightens as his question reaches my ears. I have to be very careful about this… If I say the wrong thing, it could make the Capitol look bad, and that's the absolute _last_ thing I want to do here!

"District Four is…" I start, pausing and furling my brows to think of my next words. "…getting less and less hopeful… Considering that after the Second Rebellion, there were no more living Victors to mentor us, we fell off the wagon. Pretty hard. But Hunter and I are here to change all that. With our strength, we have the capability to pioneer new hope into our District!"

No sooner than I mention Hunter, the ovation begins. By the time I finished what I was saying, I was screaming determinedly over the crowd. Even Copper stood up and clapped for me.

"Speaking of Hunter, my dear," Copper starts again, sitting back down. "Your chariot ride was quite breathtaking. I think we can all agree that District Four made the best entrance to the Capitol, hm?"

The screaming starts up again. It's amusing; these people will cheer at anything.

"Tell me a little about you and Hunter, Bronwyn. Are you-"

Before he can finish his question and possibly give me a heart attack, the buzzer rings, and the audience lets out a collective 'Aww…' I smile and stand, shaking Copper's hand and starting to walk offstage. I catch Hunter's eye and he nods in approval, bringing a smile to my face.

~Hunter's POV~

"I'm sure you're all excited to hear from my next guest, the male tribute from District Four!"

Before my name is even called, the crowd is roaring for me. I look down at myself for the fifteenth time… I'm decked out in classy leather, a simple blue long-sleeved shirt, endless amounts of gaudy jewelry, and pressed jeans. A golden crown sits atop my head, as well. Royally badass, I suppose, but it could be better.

"Hunter Riverson!" Copper announces. I climb the steps and step into view of the audience, then I start to make it better. As I walk toward Copper, I take off the leather coat first before ripping off the sleeves of my shirt, balling them up and tossing them to the crowd. They start to scream hysterically, of course… Copper watches with raised eyebrows as I tear off the fabric of my jeans at the knee before putting my jacket back on and taking a seat, crossing my arms.

"Good to see you here, Hunter! You're quite the rebel, you know." he says with a small smile.

"Yes." I answer simply.

"Now, Hunter, from what I've heard about you, you haven't had an easy life, have you not?"

"No." I say, keeping the same strong tone.

"Would you like to tell me a little about it?"

"No." This is against everything Nere taught me to behave like, but I can't be tied down like that. The other tributes can pretend to be whatever they want to be, but I don't necessarily _need_ gimmicks. The one rule I'm following is Nere's first: _If you don't do anything else I tell you when you're on that stage, be honest._

"No? Alright, then… You want to tell me a little about your time here in the Capitol?"

"No." I say, shaking my head again. Copper's beginning to look a little perturbed.

"Are you only going to answer with either 'yes' or 'no'?" he inquires. I smile.

"Yes."

"Ah, interesting! Don't want anyone to really break into that tough shell of yours, huh?"

"No." I say, giving a short laugh. The audience is perplexed.

The next three minutes is a series of quick yes or no questions that Copper is grilling into me. I want to lie on a few of them, but I have to remember Nere's first piece of advice and the only one I'm listening to. _Be honest…_

"Would you say you've lived a good life, Hunter?"

"No."

"Do you wish it could be better sometimes?"

"Yes."

"Are you this frank and hostile back at home, too?"

"Yes."

Copper gives a short laugh, and the audience starts to laugh a little, too. I'm so focused on making surw that my answer is honest, that I don't even notice that Copper's questions are starting to get dangerously personal.

"The Capitol girls love you here, Hunter. Do you get the ladies back home?"

"Yes."

"Ah, and is there one in particular that you've got your eyes on?"

The _one_ question where I should've lied, and I stupidly spout honesty before I can stop myself… "Yes."

The audience immediately begins to gasp and murmur. Copper's lips curl into a grin and my heart sinks, because I'm _certain_ of what he's going to ask next. A question that I can't just brush off…

"Is that girl Bronwyn Lockhart?"

My blood freezes solid as my brain processes the question. The hardest question in the world… I haven't felt the same about Bronwyn since she implied that she had feelings for me. I hurt those feelings so badly… And even Hyperion said that Bronwyn felt strongly about me. But… How do _I_ feel..?

The many events that transpired over the past couple of days flash through my mind… Bronwyn's sorrow…

"_I didn't care about the sponsors! I didn't care about the crowd! In that moment, I cared about you *sniff!*, a-and you toyed with my emotions! __What am I to you?__"_

Hyperion's cryptic words…

"…_But Hetia thought Bronwyn felt too strongly about you to be able to properly __act__ submissive toward you, so for the best results, we had to make her think what was going on up there was real, by __not__ telling her."_

_"This isn't through yet. Bronwyn is __still__ your goddess. For your sake and hers, don't blow it."_

Nere's advice…

"_If you don't do anything else I tell you when you're on that stage, be honest."_

My heard turns for a moment, and I see that Bronwyn had been standing just offstage, listening the whole time… Her eyes meet mine for a long moment, and I don't see the colder Bronwyn that I apologized to yesterday. I see the Bronwyn that I saw on the chariot, staring at me in awe and surprise, only now, there's a hint of anticipation mixed in.

With a slow blink, I turn back to Copper, who is still smiling and waiting patiently for my answer, which I run through my head one more time…

"_Is that girl Bronwyn Lockhart?"_

Slowly, my lips part to answer: "…Yes."

**(A/N: Hold the presses! I **_**must**_** stop it here; I have no choice! That's the kind of explosive plot development that ends chapters! I have to say, I didn't expect it to end this way as I was writing it, but it dawned on me as I was rereading Hunter and Bronwyn's forms again. However, now that I've ended it on such a powerful note, I can't **_**possibly**_** follow that in the same chapter! I apologize, Hawkheart-and-Sandflower, OpTcxXxProtocol, Awesomenesssss, and demigodgirl1000, but Districts Five and Six will have to be tackled next chapter.**

**Update! Instead of two interview chapters, I've decided there are going to be three instead with eight POVs each. I know, a little bit longer before the Games now, but don't fret! We're almost there!**

**Review with your thoughts, readers! I'm dying to hear from you! And I apologize that I've ended the daily streak… T-T Twenty-three chapters in less than a month, though… That's **_**crazy**_** for me! n_n**

**Pump me up! If the overdrive tank is filled enough, I might just be able to post the second of the three interview chapters before the day ends! :D Press the shiny blue button right below! You know you want to!)**


	31. My Last Hurdle

**(A/N: Here we go, guys! The second chapter of the three focused on interviews! We saw the first four ended on a shocking note, and now it's time to view the next four! Keep on reviewing, guys, my life is only going to get busier in the next two weeks… But after that, SUMMER! :D**

**Onward!)**

~Meaghen's POV~

Well, damn… It's going to be hard to top _that_ interview… I breathe out gently as I see thatCopper is introducing me.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, let's just see our next guest follow _that_ kind of drama, hm? Next up, we have Ms. Meaghen Culp!"

The crowd claps as I step out onto the stage, wearing a blouse, suit jacket, black skirt and thick glasses. My hair is also done up in a modest bun. This is meant to conceal my secret identity as a superhero as well, though I like it a _lot_ better than Choux does.

"Welcome, Meaghen, welcome!" Copper greets, shaking my hand as I sit. "I'd first like to say that I loved your chariot outfit. In terms of pure design, I'd have to say that it was one of the best out there that night, and _certainly_ the best outfit I've seen for District Five for a long time now!"

"Yeah, I loved it, too! I felt so much like a superhero that night! It made me that much surer that I have a chance at winning the Games!"

The audience starts to cheer, and I smile brightly. I'm doing good so far!

"So, I hear that there have been some problems in Districts Three and Five as of late? I neglected to ask either Tixxie or Trexler about them, and you're one of the last ones who can give us any insight!"

I bite my bottom lip. I don't want to risk my safety in the Games by saying something that would reflect badly on the Capitol…

"Well… There was an electrical explosion at one of the larger Batteries in my District." I start. It wasn't a lie, really; the impact of the hovercraft really _did_ cause an electrical explosion. "We tried to manage it and keep it standing, but it couldn't take the strain. The Battery collapsed later that day… The impact messed up a lot of leys nearby, and-"

I pause as I realize I just screwed up… I hope Copper didn't notice.

"Impact?" Dammit, he did! "Something… crashed into the Battery?"

"N-No!" I say quickly, shaking my head. "'Impact' is what people in District Five use to describe the force of an explosion. Nothing actually _crashed_ into a Battery! That's absurd!"

"Heh. I suppose it is." Copper says with a smile scratching the back of his head. "I should've known you had a different meaning for the word. Your Districts are so much different from the Capitol."

"Whew; are they ever…" I sigh, lucky that I just averted a tragedy.

"A five in training, hm? What happened out there?"

"I didn't do my best; that's what…" I sigh. "I did much better before the private training. If the Gamemakers had been judging the second day of training, I'm sure I would've gotten at least a seven."

"So you just had a bad run?" Copper asked sympathetically.

"Essentially. it's no biggie, though. You'll see how good I _really_ am in the arena." I say, shooting a wink to the audience and a nearby camera. They start to go crazy again. As I'm reveling in the applause, I barely notice that the buzzer goes off.

"Meaghen Culp, everyone!"

I take a quick bow and scurry down off of the stage. My last hurdle before the Games… I hope I made a good enough impression.

~Choux's POV~

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Choux Abaleen!"

I groan and roll my eyes as I walk up the steps. The applause seems to drop off significantly for Meaghen and I, and I don't get why… What was so amazing about Hunter's interview..? All he did was answer questions yes and no… Ugh, some people.

I step out onto the stage sporting a business suit and fake thick-framed glasses… Supposedly, it's to 'conceal my secret identity', but I've wanted _nothing_ to do with the whole superhero crap since the chariot! At least this one doesn't get glitter in my hair.

"Welcome to the stage, Choux!" Copper says, shaking my hand.

"Yeah, I guess it's good to be here." I sigh.

"You seem upset about something. Is it about the three you got in training or the objective of following such a dramatic interview?" Copper chuckles. I don't find it funny.

"Neither. I'm peeved that my talent is so blatantly disregarded!"

"Ah, so it _is_ the three." Copper pointed out.

"I… Ugh, fine, yeah, it's the three…" I grumble. "My power is not respected! I'm just as good as everyone else in this stupid Quell, if not better! The Careers are idiots for not accepting me into them!"

The crowd begins to murmur, and Copper furls his eyebrows. "Choux, words said on this stage have killed more tributes in the arena than you can comprehend. Do you understand the dangers of talking like that?"

"Pfft. I've studied past Games. The smartest winners always talk the biggest trash. Haymitch Abernathy did in the 50th Games."

"Yes, and he got a training score of ten."

"Bah!" I scoff. "Training scores don't matter. Lots of people who won got threes! I'm not worried! Besides, I've said way worse back in District Five to people like the tributes here. What's the difference?"

"They can kill you here, first of all…" Copper said, scratching his head.

Please… I'm not getting killed. Not before I kill them all first. The next two minutes is just garbage that I refuse to answer straightly and is not even worth documenting. When the buzzer sounds, Copper looks relieved, and so am I.

"Choux Abaline, everyone." he sighs as I stand and start offstage without shaking his hand. No one claps.

~Sorrel's POV~

"Our next tribute of the evening, ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Sorrel Migfly!"

I put on a bright smile and wave out to the audience as I step onto the stage and take a seat. Copper kisses my hand before asking his first question: "Nervous at all, Ms. Migfly? You don't look it."

"A little bit, but I prefer not to show anything that my opponents can use against me." I answer.

"How did you end up here, Ms. Migfly? My sources tell me it was not a normal Reaping for you, no?"

"No." I start, shaking my head. "I've been forced to do some drastic things to take care of my stupid foster family… Stealing food, clothes, lots and lots of money…"

"Yeesh…" Cooper sighs.

"I know… I've been to jail a lot, but I was caught one day, and all of my charges started to compile. I was forced to make a decision: sped the rest of my life in jail or become the female tribute for the Hunger Games in a rigged Reaping. Guess which one I chose."

"The Games over jail?" Copper asks.

"To me, it wasn't a decision I had to think about. I couldn't spend another minute alone in jail…"

"I understand." Copper says with a nod, patting me on the shoulder. I'm… confused…

"You do?" I inquire, furling my eyebrows.

"You're a free spirit, Sorrel. You'd rather be here and have a chance at either freedom or a quick death, or stay in jail and never see freedom again, death being certain at the end of your road."

"Y-Yeah, that's right." I stammer, surprised.

"I understand, Sorrel." he repeats assuredly. "I used to be quite like you as a child. I didn't get into quite as much trouble, though."

The audience starts to laugh, and I smile, too. He gets it.

"Just know, Ms. Migfly, that I am behind you 100%." Copper says, looking me in the eye with an honest smile. As the audience cheers, the buzzer sounds.

"Sorrel Migfly, everyone!" Copper cheers as I start to leave.

~Kern's POV~

"We're almost halfway done, people! Don't go to sleep yet! My next guest is the male tribute from District Six, Mr. Kern Rankline!"

I smile and step out onto the stage, smiling even brighter when the audience start to cheer. I'm wearing the same thing that I wore on the chariot, per request of Mona, my mentor. The crowd got a good kick out of it, apparently, and they still do!

"Welcome, welcome, Mr. Rankline!" Copper greets, shaking my hand warmly.

"Thank you, thank you!" I say graciously. "I like my name. Kern… My friends call me Colonel, you know?"

"Kernel? As in corn?" Copper asks. The audience starts to laugh, of course…

"No, not corn." I chuckle. "Colonel, as in the Old World military rank."

"Ah, I knew that." Copper said, raising an eyebrow. The audience laughs again.

"So, tell me, Kern, what do you think of the Capitol?"

"Too clean… Every wall is a mirror in the place." I say with a shrug. The audience laughs a little.

"Well, gee, I've never heard any place being described as _too_ clean. That's a first in my book." Copper jokes.

"You should pay a visit to some of the Districts someday, Copper. I'm sure your book will be full of firsts after a day or two in District Six."

Copper gives another short chuckle, and the audience joins in. I manage a small smile. This is going better than I thought it would!

"So, you got yourself an eight in training, Kern. Want to tell us a little about that?"

"Well, since I've got nothing to hide, I'm pretty handy with a knife. Plenty of those in the arena." I start. "I'm also pretty heart-set on winning this! My parents lost my two baby twins sisters when they were born, and I really wouldn't like them to lose a third."

The audience gasps and begins to purr and fret in sympathy.

"I wish you all the luck in the world, Kern." Copper says as he puts a hand on my shoulder. Moments later, the buzzer goes off.

"Colonel Rankline, everyone!" Copper jokes as I start to step offstage.

~Ellie's POV~

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're officially halfway done! Now, coming to the stage is my first guest from District Seven, Ms. Ellie Jaxs!"

I sigh away my nerves and step out onto the stage, and as I'm approaching the seat, I put my plan into action.

"W-Whoops!" I squeak, pretending to trip on my heels and falling forward onto my face. The majority of the audience gasps, and a couple laugh. Perfect.

"Oh, dear…" Copper murmured with concern. "Are you alright, Ellie?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" I groan, standing and teetering over to my seat. Copper pats me on the hand. "Just a little klutzy in these heels."

"Ah, I see." he responds sympathetically. "Well, you look beautiful anyway."

I look down at my dress, covered in fake rustling leaves, and doubt that he's being honest. I say "Thank you!" anyway, though.

"Your outfit for the chariots a few nights ago was very interesting, I must say." he chuckled. "Did you like it?"

"Not particularly. My stylists had good intentions, but I think I looked kind of silly." I admit with a shrug. There were a couple of 'awws' in the crowd.

"Tell me a little about yourself, Ellie. What was home like for you?" Copper asks

"Well, my parents died when I was young, so I've been living with by brother and his wife. They were devastated to see me go… Besides my ailing grandma, I was all they had. And they were all that I had, a-after my friend Misha died last year…"

"Ah, I remember my conversation with Misha a year ago. Very smart girl; I thought she would go far. Quite a shame that she was the first to die, and in such a cruel way, too…"

I'm trying not to cry at this point… This isn't part of my plan, but it's working with it pretty well.

"Ellie, you got the single-lowest score this year, with a two. What happened out there?"

"Dunno. Didn't have it in me, I guess." I sigh, smiling inwardly. I must look incredibly weak to the tributes and sponsors. I may not get any, but I'm determined to show what I can _really_ do when I get into the arena!

A couple of questions later, my buzzer rings and I pretend to wobble clumsily off the stage. There's minimal applause. Perfect.

~Thorne's POV~

"Alrighty, then!" Copper chirps, clasping his hands together. "Our next guest is our other tribute from District Seven! Please welcome Thorne Fagan to our stage!"

I sigh as I make my way up the steps and onto the stage in my bright forest green suit and top hat… My stylists really went all out creating this, just like they went all out for my chariot outfit.

I take a seat next to Copper Keel, the interviewer, and he shakes my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Thorne! You excited for the Games tomorrow?"

"A little bit. There's always that twinge of excitement that you feel, you know? Even as a tribute." I say.

"Hm. It must feel a lot different than the excitement we feel on the _other_ side of the screen, no?" he chuckles. The audiences starts to laugh a little.

"Heh. Yeah, I guess you're right." I respond, scratching the back of my head.

"I hope you don't mind me saying, you're quite the handsome young man, Thorne. I'm sure you must get _all_ the ladies back home in Seven, hm?"

"I wouldn't say all of them…" I sigh, smiling.

"Ah, modesty. Is there any better quality in a tribute?"

The audience starts to cheer loudly, and my smile gets brighter.

"Tell me about your family, Thorne; I've heard it's a doozy." Copper says.

"I am the second-oldest of seven children. Six out of seven of them are girls." I sigh. The audience starts laughing even louder.

"You're the _only_ boy in a house of girls?" Copper asks, flabbergasted.

"Yup. Dad was a sleaze so my mom took us all away. I live with my six sisters, my mom, and my grandma. House _full_ of girls."

"Ugh, that must be a nightmare… How do you manage?"

"I keep my door locked and cotton stuffed into my ears." I joke. Copper is laughing before I even finish, and the audience just can't get enough of me.

"S-So, Thorne, what are you going to be brining to the arena tomorrow?"

"My skills with axes and my charming personality. If looks could kill, I'd have won already."

The audience stands and cheers loudly for me; I can't believe how much they're loving me..! The buzzer rings nearby, and Copper shakes my hand firmly.

"Thorne Fagan, everyone!"

I breathe out as I step off the stage. Success!

~Paisley's POV~

"Ladies and gentlemen, next up, we have yet another Hunger Games first. Per a surprising amount of popular demand, we are about to have our very first dual interview with The Siblings from District Eight, Paisley and Franklin Brookins! Welcome them both to the stage, everyone!"

I gasp and look back at Franklin, who appears just as shocked. I take his hand firmly and walk with him up the steps watching as a member of the stage crews follows us with a third chair that will be set beside mine to accommodate Franklin. The audience looks to be going absolutely wild for us! We're both wearing solemn evening wear. I'm wearing a dark blue frilled dress and a hat and Franklin has on a small suit with coattails and even a small cane.

Copper shakes both of our hands as we sit.

"Paisley, Franklin, it is the greatest honor to have the both of you here making Hunger Games history tonight." he says strongly and politely, evoking a loud and very positive response from the crowd.

"Thank you, Copper." I say with a nod.

"Y-Yeah, thanks." Franklin says shyly. The audience finds this absolutely adorable.

"How have you two been since the terribly tragic day almost a week ago, when you _both_ happened to get Reaped?"

"It's been…" I start, then start to choke up a little.

"It's been really hard on the both of us, as you can see." Franklin finishes for me, patting me on the hand. I have never been more grateful to anyone else in my life as I am to Franklin right now. The crowd soundly voices their sympathy to us, and it just melt's Copper's hearts.

"You two are so amazing, I almost can't stand to look at you without tearing up… Your story is so heartbreaking, and to know that in the end, only _one_ of you can survive, if either… I feel an ache already."

Franklin nods. "If one of us has to win, Mr. Keel, I'd like it to be Paisley, so that she can go back to District Eight and marry her boyfriend and mentor this year, Scott. Knowing that she's happy will make my life worth it."

Hearing him say that just shatters my heart into a million pieces. I turn away from Copper and wrap my arms around Franklin as tightly as I dare without hurting him. The audience can't contain themselves at this point. There's a monstrous cacophony of crying, cheering, and clapping.

"Paisley, we only have a minute left…" Copper manages. "I'd like to know if you have any final words to say to the audience, to Panem, to me, to the other tributes… Anything…"

"I would like to inform the public that Franklin and I are not going to go down in a crying emotional heap. We're going to fight just as hard, if not _harder_, as every other tribute here. We've decided that we're not only going to represent ourselves, but other tributes, as well. Other underdogs like us. Others who have the odds stacked against them. And when we come together, we'll be able to do _anything_. The other tributes had better not underestimate us… Or they'll be in for the surprise of their lives."

The audience erupts in a storm of cheers as our buzzer sounds. Franklin and I hug as we make our way off stage. I can never repay him for what he said for me… Never…

**(A/N: And there we go! The second of three interview chapters! I hope you all enjoyed them! n_n I'll start working on the third immediately so you guys aren't left hanging tomorrow again. :3**

**I was thinking of doing some sort of sponsor point system when I started the story, but scrapped it at the last minute. Now I'm wondering if it'll be a good idea. Review me with your thoughts on this chapter as well as if you think a sponsor point system would be a good idea and why!**

**Also, good gracious… Geez, if **_**anyone**_** ever needs help designing their arena, mutts, or Gamemaker death traps, I'm imploring you, talk to TeamAvatar… She helped me turn my arena into a place of magic, and I can't **_**wait**_** for you guys to see it, too! n_n Thanks, so much, TA, I will love you FOREVER!**

**Review, Hungry Gamers! Till next time, bye bye!)**


	32. Hard Times

**(A/N: Welcome back to the final interview chapter, ladies and gentlemen! Sorry that this is getting to you a bit later than I would've hoped! n_n; Was busy when I got home.**

**I don't want to distract you from the awesome story a few lines down, so I won't!**

**Onward!)**

~Dawn's POV~

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, I know it'll be hard after such emotion, but the show must go on, so please give your warmest welcome to one of our two interesting tributes from District Nine, Dawn Kyra!"

I turn reflexively to Salt, and he looks over my outfit one more time. I'm wearing a pale blue evening gown with slippers and matching gloves. It's very plain, but very classically beautiful, I can't tell what to think about it, so I turn to Salt for advice. He gives me his fifth nod of approval in the past ten minutes. He's so patient, even so my idly nervousness must make me so annoying right now… I sign my thanks before walking up onto the stage, waving to the audience and taking a seat beside Copper.

"Hello, there, Dawn!" Copper greets, kissing my hand. "I understand that you are unable to speak because of a larynx condition. I've never interviewed a mute tribute, and I don't know a lick of sign language, so will it be alright if I just ask you yes or no questions and you answer with either a nod or a shake of your head?"

I smile and nod. Copper chuckles a little before starting his round of questions.

"Are you proud of your training score of eight?"

I nod immediately. I never expected to get so high, even though I've been training a little bit.

"If I'm not wrong, District Nine was not always your home. By show of fingers, what was your District of origin?"

I think for a moment, then raise two of my fingers.

"District Two is your birthplace?" Copper asks, to which I nod. The audience starts to murmur in peaked interest.

"Have you been training any?" Copper asks next. I start to nod once more.

"I suppose that would explain the high score from such a normally underappreciated District. A few minutes ago, Paisley implied the existence of an alliance between her, Franklin, and a few other tributes. Would you happen to be one of those tributes?"

I take a little moment before answering, peering over at Salt offstage, who is giving me his sixth nod. I turn back to Copper and nod my head proudly. The audience cheers loudly for me, and Copper claps, too.

"Our time is almost up, Ms. Kyra, but am glad to have had the opportunity to speak to you."

I nod one more time at Copper and flash the audience a bright smile right before the buzzer sounds. The heavy pleats I hold my hair in bounces against my head as I start offstage. Salt and I share a quick glance as I start my trek backstage to wait for him.

~Salt's POV~

I don't hear Copper announce my name, but I know I'm supposed to be moving when I feel the small hand of Aylau, the little Ten girl behind me, give me a small push forward. Taking a deep breath, I start up the stairs to the bright and polished marble stage. When you're deaf, you notice things that others normally wouldn't, because there are fewer things to distract you. As I take a seat beside Copper Keel, I make carefully sure that I keep all of my attention on him, to not miss a single syllable.

"Salt, I understand that you are unable to hear, correct?" his lips say in a projected manner that helps me to better understand him.

"Yes, that is right. I cannot hear a word, but I can read lips very well. You do not have to know sign language, just talk normally to me and I will understand you." I respond with a nod. "Avoid consonants, though. They can confuse me, even when _I_ say them."

"Hm hm. Alright, Mr. Auberdeen, I will be sure to speak as clearly as I can." he mouths. I smile back in appreciation and wait for his first question.

"Your name is very interesting, Salt. Is there meaning behind it?" he asks.

"Well, my twin sister's name is Pepper, so there is the connection there. My mother was thinking of scrambled eggs when we were born, and so came our names: Salt and Pepper. My mother loves salt and pepper on her eggs."

I can't tell if the audience is laughing, because I don't focus on them. I keep my gaze training on Copper's mouth, and _he_ appears to be laughing, so that's good.

"And is it hard being deaf, Salt? Were you deaf your whole life?"

"No, Copper, not my whole life. I got a really bad ear infection at the age of nine, and by the time it could be properly treated, it had messed my inner ear up irreparably. My ears are so weak, I can barely hear a thing now, and when I _do_ har things, they're very muffled. It's like cotton was hammered and stitched painfully into the deepest part of my ear."

"Yikes…" Copper murmurs with a shiver. "You got an eight in training yesterday, Salt. Are you proud of it?"

"Of course! I never thought that I would get an eight yesterday, but I guess the Gamemakers were impressed that I could use a trident."

Copper's eyes go a little wide, and I'm sure that the audience is murmuring in surprise, too, but I don't look. I have to stay focused on Copper.

"You can use a trident..?" Copper repeated, furling his thick brows.

"Yeah. A trident is not much different from a pitchfork, and I can use that _really_ well. Working out in the field with it every day does that."

"That is very impressive, Salt! Good for you!" Copper congratulates. "Are you a part of Paisley and Franklin's alliance, as well?"

"No, I am not." I sigh, shaking my head. "I do not trust any of the other tributes here besides Dawn. I would've liked to have been in a simple alliance with… just the two of us, but…"

I sigh again, and Copper pats me on the shoulder. He looks up, as if a sound startled him just now, then looks back to me.

"That was the buzzer, Salt. Sorry to say, our time is up. Glad to have talked to you! Salt Auber-"

I don't see the rest of what Copper says as I stand and wave to him and the audience, who appears to be cheering and clapping. I don't think I'll ever know how well I did, since I can't hear the audience's approval… As I step down from the stage, I start to sing faintly…

~Aylau's POV~

As Salt walks off-stage, I become conscious that it's almost my turn. Finally… Standing in front of Kyrain for the last thirty minutes was terrifying… I was afraid he might swallow me whole at any moment.

"Now coming to the stage, the District Ten female tribute, Ms. Aylau Breelin!"

I'm much too nervous to move… I just stand there for a second before Kyrain rudely shoves me forward and almost makes me trip. I hear the modifier clicking and his angry growl as I quickly climb the steps and enter the stage area. Anything to get away from him…

As I take a seat beside Copper, wearing a poufy blue checkered dress and pigtails, he immediately takes note of my prosthetic and pats me on the shoulder instead of trying to shake my hand.

"How are you feeling today, Aylau?" he asks first.

"I'm feeling pretty good. A little nervous…" I start weakly. I'll get no sponsors at this rate… I have to do better.

"I saw your Reaping, Aylau, and I'm sympathetic. No one should be disadvantaged the way you were. Is that machine on your hand helping at all?"

I look at my prosthetic and flex my fingers, watching the pistons and gears work.

"It helps plenty." I answer with a smile. "M-My hand looked and felt a lot worse before the M.E.E.P was put on it."

The audience starts to chuckle a little and Copper smiles. "M.E.E.P?"

"Mechanized exo-external prosthetic. My mentor shortened it. It's like the best glove in the world!" I say, flexing my fingers again.

"I also noticed in your Reaping, and even now, that your skin and eyes have a very yellowish tint, usually associated with-"

"Morphling addicts." I finish, a little bitterer than I intended. "I'm not on morphling. I'm too young to even be taking it for _medical_ reasons. What I have is a liver disease."

Copper nods. "Ah, yes… Thank you for clearing that up; I should've known you couldn't have been on morphling, my dear. My apologies."

Copper nods to me, and the audience starts to clap. "Would you like to tell us a little about yourself?"

"Well… My mother _is_ a morphling addict, and my dad is an alcoholic…" I say with a shrug. "I've been picked on my whole life because everyone _thinks_ I have a morphling addiction. But they don't _know_ me, so I have _no_ idea why they-"

I stop myself as I realize that I'm starting to sound angry. The audience has fallen silent, and Copper is still listening intently. "Aylau, you have every right to be angry; I completely understand. Have you gotten it all out?"

"I-I think…" I sigh. I run my good hand through my hair as I peer into a nearby camera. I hope everyone's watching…

"Now that that's out of the way, do you want to tell us about this four in training you got last night?" Copper asks next.

"I… I couldn't do my best because I can't feel my hand…" I murmur.

"Ah, I thought so. It's not your fault, Aylau. Not at all." Copper says giving me a warm pat on the shoulder. "My final question, are you also part of this alliance of Paisley's?"

"I am. Paisley and Franklin know what it's like to be unlucky and disadvantaged… Their alliance can help me." I explain.

Just then, the buzzer sounds. I stand up carefully and shake Copper's hand with my good one.

"Aylau Breelin, ladies and gentlemen!" he chirps as I walk offstage. My bones tense and freeze up as I pass Kyrain, and I can't help but stay behind for a moment…

~Kyrain's POV~

"I know you've all been waiting quite a while for this, and now you'll get to hear him speak here on this stage! Ladies and gentlemen the one and only Kyrain Venn!"

I squint my eyes as he start forward to the stage in my sharp grey suit and heavy black shoes as the audience is delivering quite a mixed response to my introduction. My teeth are still vibrating from the shock of the modifier, but they can't break me. I don't even bother waving to the square throng of seizure-inducing bird-people who are screaming my name, clapping, or shaking their fists in anger. Copper doesn't greet me like he's greeted everyone else. He saw what happened the last time I shook someone's hand.

"Welcome, Kyrain." Copper says with a nod. My eyes turn and I see Aylau has climbed up the steps to watch me from offstage. She'll wish she never stuck around…

"Hi." I answer plainly and simply, crossing my arms.

"What happened at your Reaping was very odd behavior if I do say. What happened exactly?" he asks. "Do you know Aylau?"

"No." I say, slowly shaking my head. "Until the Reaping, I'd never seen her."

"So why did you break her hand? Did something sh said up there make you angry?"

"I was angry before I got to the stage, and it had nothing to do with that kid." I snort. Copper's brows knit themselves deeply.

"So… why?"

"Stress relief." I chuckle. My lips are still numb, but I'm pretty certain that I'm smiling. I look over at Aylau. "Like a therapeutic squeeze toy, you know?"

Aylau's skin goes paler and her blue eyes grow wide. The audience immediately voices its pointless displeasure, and Copper begins to frown. "Kyrain, that wasn't a squeeze toy. That was a little girl's _hand_ that you _shattered_."

"It's the same thing to me, Copper. _I_ felt better afterwards." I chuckle. More disapproving shouts… Aylau looks pretty close to tears now. Time for the kill shot.

"Kyrain, you potentially neutralized someone's chances in the Games, and you don't feel the least bit of remorse?" Copper asks, his tone peeved.

"Why should I? The little bitch was going to be put down eventually. She _never_ had a chance of winning."

The loudest uproar thus far begins, and Aylau has tripped down the steps, landing hard on the shoulder of her good arm. She stands quickly though, and starts to run as fast as she can. I can see the tear stains on the floor from here, and I just can't help but laugh. So ridiculous…

"What's on your neck, Kyrain, if you don't mind me asking?" Copper sighs, completely dropping Aylau from the conversation.

"A shock collar. A Peacekeeper offstage has a button that he likes to push whenever I do something that offends his interests. he's been shocking me so much since I had it forced onto me that I'm nearly immune!" I laugh. "Someone's rather insecure, am I right? Now watch as he shocks me to prove my p-p-p-p-"

I can't finish before the modifier begins and a needle within the dorsal side of the collar that's prodding my spine starts shooting burning tendrils of energy into my body. I begin trembling, but to show that I'm unbreakable, I start to laugh hysterically through the searing pain. The audience had been applauding my agony until this point, and now they've fallen silent as I cackle and shiver in my seat.

"Whoo!" I holler as the pain suddenly stops. "That hurt like hell! Do you have any water?"

The crowd is completely silent for a good ten seconds. Even Copper has a hard time asking his next question. "What was the nine in training all about..?"

"My senses have been numbed by this damn modifier. If this had been off during training, I would've ripped apart that training area. Hell, I might've gotten a 12! I am _better_ than _any_ one of the Careers. Than _any_ one of these stupid tributes. _I_ am the Victor of the 175th Hunger Games, and I will be _damned_ if I let _ANYONE_ keep me from my crown!"

I stand from my seat and start walking away. By the time I'm halfway offstage, the buzzer sounds. I just chuckle at the stunned silence…

~Ariana's POV~

I'm speechless… T-That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my entire life… I nearly faint as Kyrain passes us… First he makes Aylau run off screaming and crying, a-and then the collar… He's a monster..!

"Well, that was… unexpected… Nothing we can't advance past, however. Next on the stage, we have our fourth-to-last, but not fourth-to-least tribute of the evening, Ms. Ariana Rulan-Evans!"

My knees knock as I make my way up onto the stage. When I step under the lights, my apple-green dress gets so much brighter and prettier, and my glittery heels sparkle, too! I've never walked in high heels, but Feiffer is a _master_ at it! She taught me well! I wave out to the audience and my aforementioned fear seems to just slip away. By the time I'm seated next to Copper, I'm nice and happy again!

"You look excited, Ariana! You happy to be here?"

"I'm very happy, Mr. Keel!" I respond.

"Are you now? You did not look so happy at your Reapings." he says, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, I cried… I'm a very emotional person." I chuckle. The audience laughs a little, too. "I mean, how would you feel if you were safe from the Games one moment and then the next, you're Reaped in the redraw?"

"Yikes… I suppose you're right; that is tear-inducing… The Games this year has a lot of firsts, doesn't it?"

I giggle a little bit. "Yes, it does, Mr. Keel!"

"So, Ariana, tell me a little about yourself and life back home."

"Well… I'm the middle child of five siblings. I work in the fields picking apples for the Glut and sharing the 10% of my haul with my family. Oh! And I love to sing!"

"Oh, do you?" Copper asks, amused. "Would you like to sing a little for us now?"

"Oh, I don't know…" I murmur as the audience pipes up, begging me to sing. "I don't usually sing in… public."

"Come now, Ariana! Everyone is begging for you! You don't want to disappoint the crowd do you?"

I smile and stand up. The audience starts going wild. When they hush a little, I breathe in and begin. I decide to sing another one of my favorite Old World songs:

"_Ring around the rosie_

_Pockets full of posies_

_Ashes, ashes_

_They all fall down!"_

The audience goes absolutely crazy before I've even finished. I smile and wave, sitting back down. Even Copper is clapping for me, and it's almost thirty seconds before the crowd has died down enough for him to continue.

"That was amazing, Ariana! And I almost don't want to mention this, but I must. What happened in training that you got a three?"

"I focused mostly on ranged weaponry in th two regular training days, which is what I'm really good at. I tried melee weapons to see if I was any good at those, and it turns out I wasn't… They dismissed me before I could test out my ranged skills for them…"

"Too bad… I can't wait to see what you can bring to us in the arena tomorrow! I neglected to ask Kyrain, though I'm sure he isn't, but are you part of Paisley and Franklin's alliance?"

"Yes, I am! We plan to go far and make our mark on Panem! The underdog Districts are taking a stand!"

The audience erupts in splendid applause as my buzzer sounds! I give the audience one more wave before skipping my way offstage. I completely forgot why I was upset in the first place!

~Chiro's POV~

Ariana gives me a passing hug as she skips off back to the elevators. It's almost over, and it's getting to my turn… I breathe in and out slowly as Copper begins to introduce me.

"Now, ladies, and gentlemen, our second tribute from District Eleven, Mr. Chiro Rayden!"

I take a look at myself one last time before going onstage. I've got the same theme as Ariana: green apples. Green long-sleeved shirt, black trousers, and shiny black dress shoes.

As I walk up the steps and wave to the audience, I start to feel more nervous than before, and when I get nervous, I start to shiver. By the time I'm sitting by Copper, I have goosebumps the size of pimples…

"Are you alright, Chiro? You cold?" Copper asks in concern.

"N-No… It's a medical condition. I'm not sure exactly what it is about me, but I get cold and weak very easily." I explain.

Copper nods and smiles, starting his questions. "A six, hm? Pretty impressive for a tribute from District Eleven. What was that all about?"

"I'm better with ranged weapons, like Ariana. I banked on that, though. I guess the Gamemakers liked it."

"Good, good! Now, Chiro, tell me a little about your family."

"O-Oh, alrght… Um… My family is… Is…"

I start choking up… As much as I try to compose myself, it gets to be too hard, and I just bury my head in my hands. I feel Copper start to rub my back.

"It's alright, Chiro, you're only 12. It's alright. You don't have to if it bothers you."

"My parents died…" I say sorrowfully. My mom died first and my dad remarried… My stepmom hated me and my siblings and loved her own… W-When my father died, too… I thought it was all over for us… She treated us like… s-slaves."

And that's all I can manage to get out. My head falls back into my hands, and the audience is crooning their wavy sympathy up at me.

"Chiro, if I'm not mistaken, you volunteered to save the life of an eighteen year-old that _needed_ to be there for his wife and his future family. There is _nothing_ bad to be said about that. To have been through so much and to still have such courage at such a young age? Amazing, young man. Simply amazing."

The audience begins to cheer loudly, and soon, my buzzer has rung. I stand up, happy to see that I'm not shivering anymore, and I slowly make my way offstage. I don't dry my eyes. My tears are mine to own…

~Ebony's POV~

Only two left. Me and Jinstance… We look at each other and heave simultaneous sighs.

"This is it, Jinstance. Today's the interview, and tomorrow, we have to face this blackout that you were going on about… How do we fight against something like _that_?" I ask him, already knowing his answer.

"I don't know…" he responds with a shrug.

"…Ms. Ebony Cress!" I hear Copper announce. I turn quickly.

"That's me! Wish me luck, Jinstance!" I say before starting for the steps.

"Wished!" Jinstance calls back as I rush up the stairs to meet the audience. The cheering warbles into a mix of clapping, 'oohs', and 'ahs'. I'm not surprised; I must look so gorgeously strange…

I'm wearing a strapless dress that's unnecessarily padded in certain areas to 'enhance' my appearance, which I don't appreciate. What I do appreciate is th fact that the dress is completely covered in glittery sequins that look like millions of little jewels! There's a slit in my dress that travels from my foot, where the dress ends, all the way up to my thigh, showing off my entire left leg.

My usually nice and curly hair has been straightened out so it doesn't get it my face, and the edges of my eyes all the way to my temples are cold with glitter. My stylists painted swirls on my face to make my eyes appear more interesting than they already are. Since I can't feel my butt because of these stupid pads, and since I very well can't pull them out of the dress, I sit awkwardly in the seat beside Copper, giving him a small smile.

"Ooh, such pretty eyes!" I gasps. "I should get that color in contacts, though I probably wouldn't look half as amazing as you do right now!"

The audience starts to clap again and I give a little laugh. "Haha! Yeah, you don't look like much of a dress person, Copper."

He shoots me a playful look for a long moment. "Honey, don't underestimate me. I look _way _better in dresses than you give me credit for. But that's a long story, and this interview isn't about me; it's about you! So, tell me about yourself."

"My family has fallen on hard times, Copper." I start, shaking my head. "I think you may remember interviewing my brother Onyx two years ago?"

Copper thinks for a moment, then makes the connection. "You're Onyx Cress's brother? _That's_ why you look so familiar. Besides the eyes, you look exactly like your brother!"

"I get that a lot." I chuckle, scratching the back of my head. "So, yeah. My mom's been feeling terrible since he died in the bloodbath his year… We all have, but my mother took it the worst. And now she's just found out that she may lose a second child… I can't imagine what she must be going through right now."

"I wish you and your family the best, Ms. Cress." Copper says, patting my shoulder. The applause starts up, and I give a little smile. Copper continues after a brief moment.

"Now, then. You received a nine in training correct? Or was that Jinstance?"

"It was me. I got the nine." I say with a nod. "I've been training with my dad for the Games, so I'm good and ready. I'm not going to reveal my secrets like the others, so you'll just have to find out in the arena."

I give Copper and the audience a wink and they just start going crazy. "Quite an entertaining and _very_ interesting line-up we have, hm?"

"Seems like it, Copper!" I chuckle again. I like this man. He can hold eye contact with me, and he's a little bit funny to boot!

Just as Copper opens his mouth for the next question, my buzzer goes off.

"Give it up for Ebony Cress!" Copper calls. As I wave to the audience and start to head offstage, I notice that something is missing… Jinstance. He's not there anymore. Did he have to go to the bathroom? He'd better get back out here quick or he's going to be in trouble… I stand just offstage to wait for him. Then I notice something else. There's a bathroom right down the hall from where we were standing. The door is open and the light is off… What the hell?

"And now, ladies and gentlemen! I give you our final tribute of the evening, Mr. Jinstance Jambox!"

Oh, no… I bite my bottom lip and look around for any sign of Jinstance, but he just isn't there!

"Jinstance Jambox?" Copper calls again. The applause starts to die down, and then it happens. Our mikes are set to activate automatically after a certain period of time. Now is the time for Jinstance's to come on, and what I hear chills my blood.

"…of me! I swear, I don't know anything! Put me down! Put me _down!_ Help!" comes Jinstance's voice. he could be _anywhere_ right now, but his voice is being broadcast all over Panem right now… And so is another.

"You're _lying,_ you little sausage! You know _something_, and you're _going_ to tell us!" comes an angry smooth male voice, one that I've never heard before. it's quieter than Jinstance's, so I assume his mike is just picking up his voice. And then I get another surprise: _another_ voice is picked up.

"Ugh, come on, Aquos! You want me to just kill him? I can do that, you know! Let me kill him!"

"No! No!" Jinstance's voice screams. The audience is murmuring in extreme concern now. And to top it off, I hear _another_ different voice in his mike!

"Terra, calm down… We can't kill him; he's a tribute. He needs to be alive for tomorrow, or President Centari's gonna kill. Besides, what if he _really_ doesn't know anything?"

"Pyra told us that she saw _this_ kid eavesdropping, Nimbus!" Aquos's voice says, more enraged now.

"Pyra may have been wr- Hey… Is this a mike?" Nimbus's voice speaks up.

"Terra, you didn't strip his mike, you idiot! They can _hear_ us out there and we've been saying each other's na-"

Suddenly, there's static, and I know the mike's been destroyed.

"E-Erm… Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, we're going to have to conclude the interviews at this time to-" Copper's voice echoes. I don't hear all of what he says, because I'm running as fast as I can down the hall. He _can't_ be far! I have to find him! _I HAVE TO!_

**(A/N: Whoa! Not how you expected the interviews to end, hm? ;3 There will be one last chapter before the Games officially begin, guys. And I have several announcements to make.**

**First, after reviewing the opinions, I've decided against implementing a sponsor system.**

**Secondly, the next chapter will be detailing what happens immediately after this chapter ends, as well as the morning of the Games and the actual launch into the fabulous arena, once again designed by myself and TeamAvatar! n_n It'll blow your mind; believe me. I am positive that you have **_**never**_** seen an arena quite like this! ;3**

**Thirdly, GA175 has officially exceeded 3000 hits! I **_**LOVE**_** you guys so much, it's not even funny! :D**

**Review with what you thought, ladies and gentlemen, and stay tuned! Until next time, bye bye!)**


	33. This Wasn't the Plan

**(A/N: Bum bum **_**BUM**_**! This is it! Launch chapter! It'll be amazing, I just know it! Thank you all so much for all of your wonderful tributes and your wonderful criticism! I don't say this enough, but I love every single one of my readers! n_n**

**Now, enough sappy-sappy! Let's get it **_**ON!**_

**Slight warning, if there was a T+ rating, that would be the rating for this chapter. n_n; Enjoy!**

**Also, if you want to enhance your reading experience for this particular chapter and get a feel for the emotion and feelings within it, I highly recommend listening to The Requiem by Linkin Park. :3)**

~Ebony's POV~

"Jinstance! Jinstance, where are you?" I scream at the top of my lungs. Everything around me is moving at lightning speed… After what I just hear, I don't have a moment to spare! I open my mouth to call him again when I hear it: a faint disoriented groan. He's not far!

"Jinstance, I can hear you! Moan if you can hear me, too!" I call out in this maze of hallways. It comes again, a light woozy moan, and now I can tell where he is. After a couple more corner turns, I spot an overturned trash can near where the interview auditorium complex segues into the lobby.

"Jinstance!" I yell, picking the can up and watching the kid tumble out with a pile of trash and sprawl on the floor. "Jinstance, are you alright? What happened?"

"They jumped me and dragged me here!" he strains to get out. He tries frantically to get his hair out of his eyes as he continues. "They started asking me weird questions while you were being interviewed… I didn't understand."

"Jinstance!" Ticker's voice calls. I turn and see him running as fast as he can toward the two of us. "What did you tell them? What do you know?" he demands. My brows furrow a little bit. What does _Ticker_ know about all this..?

"You, too?" Jinstance groans. "I'm telling you what I told them; I don't know anything! I don't know _what_ you're talking about!"

"So why were you attacked?" Ticker demands again.

"_I don't know!_" Jinstance yells back, annoyed. "How many times am I going to have to repeat that? What is this, the seventh time in the past half-hour? Can we please just go back to the suite? They held me upside-down, and the blood still hasn't completely drained out of my head yet."

Ticker stares at him for jut moment longer before nodding. "Let's go, you two."

We both help Jinstance to his feet, but he shoots me a quick frightened glance. In his wide eyes, I can see my own fear looking back at me. Something bad is happening or is about to happen in the Capitol… I'm almost certain it's going to affect the Games in some way, and I'm suddenly dreading tomorrow…

~Bronwyn's POV~

I don't know how long I've been laying like this, in my underwear, staring out the window, but it's been too long. I don't move, though. Partially because I have no reason to. It's close to midnight and I should be in bed anyway. But the prime reason is because of that one word: 'Yes.'

For about the tenth time, I run my tongue idly over my lips. It might be more than ten, because I've zoned out a couple of times in the past hour. My eyes have rolled back a couple of times from fatigue, but the word tethers me to reality and keeps me from passing out: 'Yes.'

I roll slowly onto my side as I think about how one word could change everything. I don't even notice that the way I'm positioned, staring at the door, it looks like I'm expecting him. I'm not, really. I actually don't want him to come, because I'm afraid I'm going to do something stupid if he does, or worse, something I'd regret. I'm only in my undergarments, so I'm halfway there, I suppose… Just as I consider getting up and putting on pajamas, though, he opens the door.

His eyebrows rise slightly when he sees me and my sultry-ish position on my side, which I still haven't moved from yet. His expression melts from surprise to disappointment. "Bronwyn, no…" he sighs.

"O-Oh, no… This has nothing to do with you." I say quickly. "I just didn't bother to change, I was so… tired."

Hunter looks a little less upset, stepping inside. He closes the door behind him and my heart starts to pound, but the look in his golden-brown eyes assures me that his intentions aren't what I fear they are. I'm still concerned that I don't have _my_ intentions in check yet, though…

"Hunter, you weren't lying?" I ask, my voice suddenly cold and accusing now that I'm bathed in darkness… "That wasn't just another 'stunt' for sponsors?"

"I don't care about sponsors." he responds in a voice just as cold. It hurts and surprises me for a second, then I consider that my tone might've hurt him, too. I immediately soften, still not moving from my spot.

"I'm sorry… I-I just need to hear it. Straight from you. How you really feel." I say softly.

"It wasn't enough out there." he says. It's not a question. He's telling me something. "You don't want to hear it, Bronwyn."

He keeps getting closer, but I'm focused more on his words than his proximity. "What? What do you mean I don't want to hear it? W-What don't I want to hear?"

I get scared for a moment, and it's that fear that stirs me. I start to sit up, moving to stand on my knees on the bed and looking right at him. Before the words even emerge, I know my voice will be frantic. "A-Answer me!"

Hunter stops right in front of my face, his unreadable eyes locked to my scared ones. I take notice that standing on my knees on the bed makes me about as tall as he is. For a long moment, there is just silence as we stare at each other, then he begins to move. One hand rises to wrap gently around my arm where my scar is, and the other rises higher to slowly cup the back of my head. I really should expect what's coming next, but by some miracle, I don't. Not even when he starts to slowly pull my head forward to his. It isn't until my lips meet his that the belated message finally reaches my brain: 'He's going to kiss me.'

I admit, I've envisioned myself kissing Hunter before. I always thought it'd be cool and icy, like his aura, and that it'd be a lot more claiming. This is unlike anything I imagined. His lips aren't as cold and claiming as the rest of him. They're warm and so passionate… Surprisingly human. My eyes close as I lose myself in the moment… My face is heating up at an astonishing rate, and by the time he pulls away, I feel I might burst into flames at any moment. His hands still grip me, and his eyes are looking into mine, serious and set.

"That's what you wanted." he whispers to me.

Completely taken by him, I start to lean forward to him again, but his hand moves swiftly from the back of my head to press one finger to my lips and stop me. I look up at him and blink in concern as a little of the disappointment from before crawls back onto his darkened features, mixed with sadness.

"I saw you with the Careers at lunch the second day of training, Bronwyn." he tells me. My heart freezes and starts to fall away in pieces… I was so focused on Hunter and our feelings for each other that I missed the bigger picture: I became a Career out of anger. Hunter is a target of the Careers. He's my target…

The tears roll freely. "Hunter… Oh, Hunter, I'm so sorry..! I'm s-"

"Shh…" he soothes, putting his fingers to my lips again. "It's not your fault, Bronwyn. I'm not angry at you. And I'm not going to make an enemy out of you now. I can't. Whether or not you will make one out of me is entirely your decision."

When I see Hunter turn to leave, something takes a hold of me and replaces the pieces of my heart that had fallen away. In desperation, my body turns to lechery. My hand activates against my will and reaches out to take his shoulder and stop him. The words come out before I can stop them.

"Love me." I plead softly. Hunter's eyebrows start to crease in frustration.

"Bronwyn…"

"Please!" I beg louder, my warming mind clouding up even further. "This is our last night that we'll be sure we'll be alive. Hunter, please!"

"Bronwyn, _stop it!_" he says firmly, turning around and grabbing both of my arms. "I don't know who you think I am, but I am _not_ going to do that to you!"

Whatever lustful trance I was in releases its hold on me, and I'm suddenly ashamed of myself… But I still just can't let him leave. I need to know that it's alright. That he forgives me…

"Then stay with me." I whisper, tears stinging my eyes again. "Just stay by my side. I… *sniffle* Hunter, kiss me… Please…"

Hunter looks deep into my eyes again for another instance of eternity, but then he closes his eyes and lets me go. He turns around and starts to walk to the door again, exiting my room... What was left of my heart explodes into millions of irreparable shards.

"Hunter!" I scream at the soundproof door. With a heartbroken flail, I throw my face into the pillow and start to cry loudly. Just as the self-loathing really starts to sink in, the door opens again. I don't even notice at first, until I hear the voice:

"I'm not coming in to stay until you put pajamas on."

My sobbing cuts off suddenly. I slowly lift my head, and the pieces of my heart miraculously come together again. Hunter is standing in the doorway, now clad in a set of soft flannel pants and a sleeping vest. He just went to his room to get pajamas!

I oblige immediately and run over to my drawer, quickly slipping on my new favorite set of pajamas: the green flannel set from the train. Hunter climbs into the bed first, and I join him a moment later, nestled into the crook of his arm.

Hunter turns his head to me before planting another soft kiss on my lips. "Get to sleep." he whispers to me.

With a small nod, I nuzzle my head into his shoulder and let his breaths lull me to sleep. It's all worth it now…

~Marie's POV~

I swallow down the last bite of the last breakfast I would be eating in the Capitol for a little while, and as I do, Agate and Ruby emerge from the hallway. Agate has his head down and his eyes covered, and Ruby has a towel around her body and her nose is turned up into the air.

"What's up with you two?" I ask, curious. Agate just points at Ruby with the hand that's not covering his eyes, and she scoffs in a playful manner.

"He's bothered because I happened to be stepping out of the shower to grab a towel just as _he_ was stepping out of his room to come down here. Apparently, my taste in exotic piercings and tattoos 'disturbs' him."

"You have exotic piercings?" I ask curiously.

"Yes, I do! I have a ruby stud in my belly button!" she chirps with a bright smile.

"And a tattoo of my father's name in the form of a tramp stamp…" Agate groans, swigging down a tall glass of orange juice as his breakfast. "Come on, Marie, Thyst is waiting. It's time to start heading to the launch."

"Normally," Ruby coughs, stopping us as we head to the elevator. "the launch consists of the transport to the arena itself and the painful injection of a tracking device into your left forearm. However, since you are going to be translocated into a virtual arena, none of that is necessary! Just thought I'd let you know so there'd be no surprises. Go down to the Training Center and stand on your gender and District's circle in the center. It'll deliver you down to the Translocator. Your stylists will be waiting there to give you final instructions. Try not to die, you two!"

Ruby waves goodbye to us one last time as we start to walk to the elevator. This is it. In just a few minutes, my victory will begin…

~Tixxie's POV~

I glance around at the twenty-three other people in the room. The people who will soon be my enemies… No one is saying anything. We're all getting ready for whatever's going to happen on these circles.

Many of the tributes look nervous, but the Careers look tough and determined, as to be expected. I'm trying to show no emotion. I can't afford to. I'm literally the smallest person in the room. These people will eat me alive if I show anything…

All of a sudden, I feel my stomach drop. The rest of me soon follows. The circles are beginning to descend, one-by-one. Mine happened to be the first. As I descended into the dark tube, a panel closed above me after a few moments, leaving me descending into total darkness for what feels like an hour. When the elevator panel finally stops, there is a few seconds of cold, scary silence before a door behind me slides open slowly.

I turn around and stare out into a long hallway, lined with mirrors on either side. On the far end of the hallway is a sort of cylindrical chamber with a platform for me to stand on and glowing angled nodes all over the curved wall inside.

Halfway between the exit to the elevator platform and the chamber, which I'm guessing is the Translocator itself, is a large square space with a single bench. Sitting on the bench is my head stylist, Jamieson. He doesn't notice me yet. When I start walking slowly down the mirrored hallway, though, he looks up and smiles.

"Tixxie, Tixxie, Tixxie! So good to see you again!" he purrs, standing up before walking over to pinch my cheeks. I sigh…

"Hi, Jamie…" I say with a smile, rubbing my cheeks after he releases me. "What's going on now?"

"Right now, you've got to be prepped for finality! You have two minutes. Here, eat this." he says, handing me a small pill and a glass of water. "It's a dampening tablet. It's going to keep you from turning to dust in the Translocator."

I shrug and take the pill, swallowing it down with fair ease. There's a little more water in the cup, and I'm rather thirsty, so I start to drink the rest.

"Good, good! Now, take off all your clothes." Jamieson says.

The water flies out of my mouth before I get a chance to really taste it. _"WHAT?"_

~Jet's POV~

I can hear Asira giggling as the last of my clothes slip off. Asira and Juno's eyes are scanning my body eagerly, but Hera is focused only on my face, to which I am appreciative.

"Why do I have to be naked for this again?" I groan. Juno's twin cracks a small smirk as she answers.

"You might as well be, Jet, since your clothes are going to be vaporized in the Translocator anyway."

"Does that mean _everyone_ is naked in the arena?" I ask, trying hard to keep the images from passing in front of my mind's eye…

"Everyone will be naked at the time of translocation. When you're _in_ the arena, you'll have a special electronically-implemented suit that has the armor that you worked against in training." Hera explains with a nod.

I lift my head as a man's voice booms above.

"30 SECONDS."

"It's showtime, Jet. Make us proud." Juno said, smiling softly at me.

~Kyrain's POV~

The modifier shatters into sparks and smoke under my feet. All three of my stylists now lay in a battered pile in the corner, and I crack my knuckles, finally glad to be free. The shackle has come off once again, and now I can finally take my throne. I can _feel_ my true strength finally returning! Not held back by that damn modifier anymore!

"20 SECONDS UNTIL LAUNCH. ALL TRIBUTES PREPARE IMMEDIATELY FOR TRANSLOCATION." the booming voice above me drones. I roar out as loud as I can, reveling in my freedom as I storm over to the Translocator, watching my stylists' bruised and bloodied forms start to stir as the door to the chamber closes in front of me and cuts off all sound except for the voice.

"10 SECONDS UNTIL LAUNCH. 9… 8..."

This is it.

~Ellie's POV~

As the door to the Translocator closes, I continue to keep my arms crossed over my exposed chest. I'm just glad that there's no one here to see me…

"7… 6… 5…"

I guess this is it…

~Jinstance's POV~

I let out a shaky breath as the Translocator starts to give a low hum. The nodes all along the wall start to glow brighter, and the Translocator starts to rumble as the hum starts to get high and louder and the nodes get brighter and brighter. This is _so_ scary…

"4… 3… 2… 1… BYE BYE."

And everything explodes in a giant plume of light. The shaking is unprecedented, and I scream out as I feel my entire body start to rip itself apart and squish itself back together somewhere else. Oh, man! _This is it!_

~Franklin's POV~

I don't open my eyes until the feeling of exploding subsides completely… And when I do, I'm absolutely shocked…

My eyes widen as I look around. All twenty-four of us are in a perfect circle, and each one of us is equidistant from the Cornucopia in the center. But what I don't see are regular weapons, but spinning bubble cartoonish objects with weapons _on_ them…

I look around and see the District Four male, Hunter, on my left, the District Three female, Tixxie, on my right, the Cornucopia directly in front of me, and right behind me, nothing.

Behind Hunter is nothing. Behind Tixxie is nothing. Behind _all_ of the tributes is nothing. We're standing on a circular platform that falls into a deep and dark abyss. The walls rise and fall infinitely, and along them are squares of rapidly changing numbers. On occasion, one of these squares would fall away from the wall and either rise up into the darkness above, or collapse into the darkness below.

T-This can't be right..! I look around frantically and meet Paisley's eyes, three tributes down from my left. She looks just as scared as I am! T-This wasn't the plan! We were supposed to group up and escape the bloodbath! But the way this looks… N-No one will escape the bloodbath…

I run my hands through my hair and my world collapses around me in a shattering, piercing terror! _This wasn't the plan!_

**(A/N: And it's about to begin! The next chapter will be the bloodbath chapter, and then the fun starts!**

**Thank you all for putting up with me until this point, but now it's time for the real deal. The Games have begun. Most likely, your favorite tribute (or your own tribute) will die, and only **_**one**_** shall remain. WHO SHALL WIN? WE SHALL SEE! Tune in next time, when the bloodbath begins! And don't worry, there's **_**MUCH**_** more to this arena than it at first seems… ;)**

**Review, people, review! My circulation has clotted for some reason! I need your feedback to keep me going! :D**

**Until next time, bye bye!)**


	34. They All Fall Down

**(A/N: And so it begins! In just a few moments, lives will end. Good lives, bad lives, but lives. And it breaks my heart to have such awesome tributes die, but it's the only way the story can advance!**

**Every time a tribute dies, the T-List will be updated to reflect that, so if you need to be reminded, look to the T-List. Bolded tributes are dead tributes.**

**Get ready, guys, carnage incoming in 3… 2… 1… BYE BYE.)**

~Choux's POV~

As I glance around, I'm forced to admit, this place is pretty damn cool. Except for the fact that there's no way out… This will be quicker than I would've thought.

I look down at the new outfit I'm somehow in. I'm wearing a bodysuit with a jet-black base and angled yellow circuit-like nodes all over the outfit, originating from a glowing disc-machine on my chest, the armor generator, I'm assuming. I still feel naked, though… When I touch the outfit, it doesn't even feel like fabric. It's like my skin is electric… And whatever this outfit is made of, it's tightened perfectly around my form and leaves very little to the imagination.

I look around me. To my right is Sorrel, the Six fugitive who was stupid enough to get caught and stupider enough to pick here over jail when she's as flimsy as a toothpick. She's dressed in a similar form-fitting bodysuit that shows her lack of curves, but her nodes are purple instead of yellow. To my left is Rhymer, that twitchy brat from Two… She isn't butt-ugly, but her appearance is tolerable. More tolerable than Sorrel's… Her nodes are blue. I feel a tiny numbness in my head, as if someone's watching me… A quick look around and I spot her: the blonde bitch from One who shrugged me off in training! Her body is _considerably_ more stimulating and curvy than Rhymer or Sorrel's, and she has red nodes on her suit. Ugh… I'll show the Careers… Once I kill her, they'll _have_ to let me join them!

I look around a little more, noting all of the node colors for future reference. District One is red. District Two is blue. District Three is silver. District Four is green. District Five is yellow, of course. District Six is purple. District Seven is a darker green than District Four. District Eight is pink. District Nine is beige. District Ten is white. District Eleven is orange, and District Thirteen is grey.

Nothing seems to be going on at first, then my eyes start to vibrate, and it gets a little painful. I close them for a moment, and when I open them, there's a clock in front of my face, counting down from sixty. Whenever my eyes move, the clock moves, too, like it's imprinted into my vision…

~Ebony's POV~

The clock in my eyes ticks down from sixty to ten in no time at all, and my breathing starts to get heavy. It's about to happen. The Games that I _have_ to win are about to begin!

5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

The gong sounds and the clock leaves my vision. Since there's nowhere to run, I immediately make a blind streak for the Cornucopia, my mind darting to and fro to find _something!_ The other tributes have started running, too, but I'm one of the first to start approaching… Suddenly, I see it! A spinning… ehh, power-up, I assume, with a hatchet on it! I run straight for it, and am glad to see that no one has taken real notice of me yet. Biting my lip, I reach out and grab the cartoonish object, watching as it turned to pixels in my hand. The pixels swirled around and started to _form_ the hatchet in my hand! When it was complete, I was holding a sleek metal axe with a glowing, humming blade. It looked very technological and unlike any weapon I had ever seen before! My eyes dart around quickly, and as they do, I see a girl with light green nodes sprinting straight toward me. The girl from Four!

I raise my axe at her and her eyes widen immediately. She's unable to stop or change directions! My first kill is going to be one of the Careers! As I swing my axe to take her head off, she suddenly leans back into a fast slide, completely avoiding my axe and even sweeping my feet out from under me as she slid by me.

I land hard on my chest and the axe is jarred out of my hands. I quickly look around, and a lot of the others either didn't notice or are preoccupied, so I quickly crawl to get my axe, when another hand picks it up!

"I'll just be taking this." says the girl who picks up my axe. She's young-looking and has darker-green nodes. Ellie from Seven… "And your life!"

The girl swings the axe down at my head with amazing strength for someone who got a two in training! I barely manage to roll out of the way as sparks fly up from the energy blade. My foot slips out from under me as I try to stand, and by the time I recovered and stood back up, she's already swinging the hatchet at my side. Time slows down and my life starts to flash before my eyes… This is how it ends..? At the bloodbath, like my brother..? I close my eyes as the energy blade of the axe, which I expect will easily cleave me in half, strikes me on the side and instead causes me to fly into a spin in the air, flailing and landing on my stomach a couple of feet away…

What..? I didn't die? T-That was a fatal swing! She should've killed me! It didn't even feel like an axe… More like a foam bludgeon or something… Then I hear the beeps. Six of them. I look down at my chest and see that six of the ten lights lining the disc-shaped device on my chest have gone out. _The armor_!

As I realize this, I stand to my feet again and face Ellie, who looks just as surprised as I am. She sees my device, then scowls, charging at me again. This time I'm ready for it. I bend far backwards as the axe is swung, and when she's lagged by the momentum, I lift my leg high and plant my foot squarely into the side of her head. She stumbles back, slightly disoriented, and her tenth light on her armor flickers.

I smile, until I hear someone clear his throat behind me. I turn my eyes to Thorne, who is standing on the other side of me, wielding an axe similar to the one Ellie is now holding. Aw, hell… I'm stuck in-between _both_ tributes from Seven…

~Bronwyn's POV~

Holy hell, that was a close one… When I finally stop sliding, I stand and start running for the Cornucopia again. I see my immediate target, a power-up that has a spear on it as well as the term 'x5' in the center of the icon.

'Five spears…' I think, running towards it. I see the rude kid from Five running toward the spears, too, but I'm definitely faster. I turn my body and ram my shoulder into his chest, throwing him right off of his feet! Dang… Am I that strong, or is he that weak..?

I shake my head as he tries to reorient himself and grab the spinning power-up. A tingling glowing javelin immediately finds its way into my hand, and I just stand and stare at it for a few moments.

I'm stirred back to reality by a knife whizzing by my face. Turning quickly, I see that Jinstance, the boy from Thirteen, has locked onto me. I squint and raise my spear, and his resolve melts immediately. He ducks under a wild sword swing as he tries to get away. I scoff and start to look around again, then I see them, at the edge of the arena, talking. I take aim…

~Franklin's POV~

"Paisley, what do we do?" I scream after meeting up with my older sister. Panicked tears are starting to stream down my face, but she takes my shoulders in her hands and gives me a good shake to snap me out of it.

"Franklin, calm down! The plan hasn't changed! We still need to find everyone and find a way out of here! This _cannot_ be all of the arena! There_ has_ to be a way out of here, Franklin, there just _has to!_"

I start to breathe a little slower, and Paisley lets me go, not a moment too soon.

"Alright, now Franklin, what I want you to do is g-"

I jump suddenly and gasp as something thin and fast suddenly explodes against Paisley's head in a shower of sparks and crackles, sending her over the edge of the arena and into the darkness below.

"_PAISLEY!_" I scream after her, watching as the lights on her armor drop from 10 to 1 right before she disappears…

I stare in shock and horror for a moment more before looking for the source. That mermaid girl from Four looks like she's the one who threw it, because she's got another one conjured and is about to throw it at _me_! I start running just as the spear leaves her hand and it sails harmlessly over the edge behind me. Tears start to fall freely as I start running. I don't even know or see where I'm running. I just know I have to get away… Someway…

~Tixxie's POV~

Being small has its advantages. I'm barely noticed as I weave my way between frantic tributes trying to somehow get around on this platform. Some are looking for weapons, others with weapons are looking for tributes without weapons to attack. I grimace as I see Rhymer from Two kick Meaghen, the stuttery girl from Five, in the stomach and sends her tumbling off the edge. From where I am, I can see the edge of the arena, but I furl my eyebrows. Is it closer than it was a moment ago, or am I just getting closer to the edge?

My question is thrown to the wind as I see a spinning blue backpack with a question mark on it near the outer edge of the arena. It's a big-looking one, too! I'm surprised no one else has gone for it yet! I start to weave again, leaping for the backpack once I get close enough. It's do or die here, so I quickly open the backpack to see what's inside, and an odd device meets my eyes. The zipper cuts a wire of the device as I open it, and there's a spark. Suddenly, the machine lights up and starts to whir. The panel on the anterior end lights up with numbers.

0:05… 0:04… 0:03… 0:02…

My eyes widen as I realize what I'm holding.

"_WHAT THE F-"_

*BOOM!*

~Trexler's POV~

As I skid to a stop at the edge of the arena again, wielding an electric energy pistol that I managed to pick up, my heart jumps as an ear-popping explosion rocks the air, followed by a loud, shrill, and familiar-sounding yell. I turn and watch as Tixxie's energy armor goes from 10 straight down to zero as the explosion throws her high into the air. She flies, screams, and flails in a comical arc of smoke high into the air and right over my head before slamming into the wall of number squares and knocking several of the squares from their places as she tumbles into the abyss below.

"Tixxie!" I scream in horror as I watch her fall. I try and hold back tears… Then something occurs to me. Into that abyss is the only way out of the bloodbath. There's never been a Games that's just been one big bloodbath… Could there be more down there..?

I don't have time to think about jumping before something slams into me. I yelp and scream out as I tumble down into darkness with Aylau from Ten, who is screaming just as loud.

~Kyrain's POV~

I'm the only one still on my platform… I watch in amusement as the tributes battle like gladiators among themselves. I start to laugh, until I feel myself start to teeter backward. Stepping forward quickly, I turn around and see that this platform we're standing on is wasting away into a virtual mesh of sorts, which vaporizes just as quickly as it's exposed by the decaying of the platform. This thing is shrinking. It's _designed_ for us to fall into it, and into whatever 'horrors' are below.

Meh… While I'm here, I might as well kill a tribute or two until I'm forced into the chasm. I don't take more than a step forward before my victim slams into me on accident. It's that Kern kid from Six. He looks up at me in anger first, then fear, bringing up his dagger in defense.

"Hehehe… Looks like you're the lucky winner, meat." I growl at him before taking a lunging step forward and giving him a powerful push. It's enough to knock him right off of his feet, and his dagger goes clattering away. I step on his arm to keep him from running, rolling, or crawling away, then I grab him by the head and manage to get him into a chokehold, though he's putting up quite a struggle.

"Struggling's gonna make it hurt more!" I laugh as he flails. In the brief moment that he stops squirming, I shirt the position of my hands, clutching the top of his head in one hand and his chin in the other. Then I twist as hard as I can. To my disappointment, his armor keeps me from just snapping his neck, but to my curiosity, the motion does manage to black out one of his ten armor lights.

"Ah, this'll be fun! Let's see how long it takes for me to snap that armor _and_ that spine!" I growl, twisting again. This time, I continue to twist, the force of the armor working against the force of his head twisting. The armor starts to crackle, and I can hear the beeps signaling each light going out. Nine… Eight… Seven…

I laugh as he claws at my hands in an attempt to get away from his imminent death. Six… Five… Four… Three…

In the last two seconds, Kern manages to force out a gurgled "No, please!" before his armor breaks and his neck is destroyed with a violent *SNAP!*

I release his head and watch as his lifeless body slumps to the floor. The first kill of the Game, and it's mine. A small smile comes to my face, and I start walking toward the rest of the carnage.

~Bronwyn's POV~

My fourth spear strikes Sorrel from Six right in the chest, dropped her from five to zero instantly. She looks down at her shattered armor generator, then back up at me in fear, not even noticing Marie swoop by and open up her throat with a good swipe of the knife. She falls to the floor and stops twitching within moments…

I grimace as Marie wipes a spray of blood off of her cheek. I turn and see Jet, Rhymer, and Agate around me as well.

"They're not getting out of here, guys. It's time to squash this Anti-Pack." Marie says, cracking her knuckles.

"I took care of Paisley. Franklin disappeared, and I haven't seen him again yet." I tell her, shaking my head.

"Paisley's out? Good. Keep looking for Franklin, and take out Hunter if you see him. Jet and Rhymer, you find one of the bigger kids in that pack. Agate, you're with me. We'll find the other around here somewhere."

There's a quick nod of assent from each of the Pack members and they separate into groups. I think about a spear, and the last one currently in my arsenal extends into my hand as I look around for my target… Out of the corner of my eye, I spot movement toward me and raise my spear to throw it. Then I lock eyes with Hunter.

He looks at my spear and appears to cringe, freezing in place. I almost let the spear sail right at him, but in a split second, I find a new target and pretend to sneeze, tossing it away from Hunter and having it cruise over toward three tributes fighting it out nearby.

~Ebony's POV~

I'm forced to stick to quick bobbing and weaving as both Ellie and Thorne start taking swings at me. I'm barely successful, but a few hit catch my arms and legs, and each one brings my armor lower… A good shot to the chest from Thorne brings my armor down to zero, but before he can deliver the kill shot, a spear whizzes past my head and hit him in the chest, dropping him from ten to zero in no time flat.

He and Ellie both looks stunned and surprised, and before Thorne can recover and raise his axe at me again, there's a faint whizzing sound, followed by the chilling thud of blade meeting skin. I take a second look at Thorne and now see that he's gasping, clutching a throwing knife that sailed neatly into a rather large vein in his neck.

His attempts to stop the bleeding are futile… Thorne falls to the floor in a pool of his own blood, and his body falls limp… I turn and see Jinstance running toward me with another knife raised, and it looks like it's his last.

"Duck!" he calls. I oblige immediately and drop my head. First an axe blade comes whirling over my head, almost scalping me, then Jinstance's throwing knife makes square contact with Ellie's chest. I hear five beeps in her armor, but I don't turn around to see. I rip Thorne's axe from his chilling dead hands and whirl around again to swing it cleanly and smash the blade into her armor generator. Her armor drops to zero, of course, but the force sends her over the edge of the arena before I can… What? When were we this close to the edge of the arena?

Jinstance pulls my shoulder away and turns me around. "The field is shrinking, Ebony! it's been shrinking since the gong sounded!"

Ah… It starts to make sense to me now…

"Ebony!" Jinstance calls again. "There's gotta be something down there! Your armor's shot and you're gonna die unless we jump! Let's go!"

I stare at him for a moment, then I take his hand. "Let's go." I repeat with a nod, and taking a deep breath, we both leap into the abyss, and whatever waits in the darkness below….

~Ariana's POV~

_Ring around the rosie…_

I stare in horror as more and more tributes collapse into the darkness… A-All this is scarier than anything I could've imagined… I gasp as I spot Chiro, and start running to him, but an energy mace smashes me in the chest and causes me to fall backwards onto the floor.

_Pocket full of posies…_

When I regain my bearings, I see the two tributes from One standing over me. The girl grabs my arms and holds me down so I can't get away, and the boy smashes me in the face with his mace, bouncing off of the armor and depleting me to zero. I can't escape what's coming next…

_Ashes… Ashes…_

I turn my eyes to Chiro, who is watching the scene in horror, and I scream for him to "Go, Chiro! Run away! RUN! R-" just as Agate's mace comes down onto my head one last time. The last thing I think I see is my warm blood exploding into the air before total darkness…

_They all… Fall… Down…_

~Choux's POV~

Dammit, dammit, dammit! This isn't supposed to be how it worked! In a rage, I shove the kid from Eleven, who is staring in horror at something nearby and send him over the edge of the arena. I look over to what he was looking at and my eyes widen. Agate brings his mace violently down onto the songbird from Eleven's head, ending her life in a gruesome detonation of brains and blood.

Holy crap… I-It isn't until I witness the girl's death and Marie lifts her head to look at me that something clicks in my mind: I'm in deep trouble. If they can do that to someone… I've got to get out of here! I turn to leap off of the platform where I had pushed the other Eleven kid, but Marie grabs me by the neck and pulls me back, spinning me around and jamming her blade into my chest with two good thrusts, destroying my armor and causing me to fall backwards.

Fear… That's what I feel, for the very first time in my life, as Marie plants her foot in my chest to keep me from moving and twirls her knife to underhand position. She leans down and starts to speak lowly to me… Just her proximity causes my body to shiver involuntarily…

"Here's a note to put on your fridge in hell, you bastard…" she whispers coldly to me. "Know. Your. Place."

The ironically familiar words are the last that I think about before Marie vehemently shoves her dagger into my right eye, which sinks further to pierce a crucial lobe, and then nothing…

~Salt's POV~

I've been standing on the edge of the arena, slowly inching forward with each passing second that it shrunk. I want nothing to do with the bloodbath, or anything that waits below here… I don't want anything… My eyes dart around, and then I spot her, trying her best to fight off the tributes from Two who are double-teaming her! Rhymer drops her armor to zero with a swing of her knife, and Dawn turns to try and run away, towards me… She opens her mouth as she runs, but if she was going to perform a miracle and actually speak, the chance was never had, as Jet skewers his energy blade into her neck and straight through her throat. Her eyes glaze and roll back immediately, and after a moment of twitching and coughing up blood that's darker than it should be, it's over…

My blood turns to ice… The two of them look up at me and start running to end my life, too. I stand still, waiting for them to come and do it, but I lose my footing as the arena shrinks out from under me and my limp cold form collapses into the darkness…

~Rhymer's POV~

"Dammit!" curse as Salt falls. I stamp my foot in frustration, until I see movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn, and am surprised by what I see.

Kyrain is laughing out loud as he crushes the throat of the Eight boy, Franklin. His armor keeps him from being killed, but it looks like it's depleting at a steady rate. No! He's _mine_!

I rear back and throw my knife at the two of them. I cheer as it hits Kyrain in the wrist, dropping his armor from ten to nine and forcing his arm to reflexively release Franklin. Yes! Unfortunately, I forgot to consider the fact that Franklin was being held over the abyss, which he falls into. No!

Kyrain turns to us with anger and starts to charge. Jet pulls me away from the edge and toward Marie and Agate, who are armed and staring down Hunter, who managed to arm himself with the one trident in the Cornucopia. Now that Franklin's gone, there are seven of us left on the now-small platform.

As Kyrain continues to charge, I duck and roll underneath his arm, but Jet is not as quick. Kyrain throws a heavy shoulder into his chest and the force is enough to drop his armor to seven as he flies down into the darkness. Marie is shocked of course, but before she can draw her dagger to retaliate, Hunter has made his move and lunges forward, stabbing Marie in the chest with his trident and dropping her armor to one as she too falls into the chasm below.

Kyrain kicks Agate in the stomach as he tries to back away, and the bloody mace falls out of his hands and onto the floor. Idiot! Kyrain picks up the weapon and uses it to swiftly smash a frozen and surprised Bronwyn in the jaw, causing her to twirl in the air as she was sent flying into the darkness with her armor dropping to eight.

It's me, him, and Hunter, and I'm the only one with no weapon. We all stare at each other for a long moment, before I make an executive decision.

"Screw this!" I growl in frustration, jumping off the edge and holding my breath, waiting for what was coming to meet me below.

~Hunter's POV~

It's me and him. Kyrain chuckles, brandishing his mace, and I grit my teeth, raising my trident. The stage only starts to get smaller and smaller. We both lunge forward at the same time, and our weapons clash. It's a power struggle now.

"Just give up." he grunts through gritted teeth as his mace clashes sparks with my trident. "You're no god among tributes. You're just another victim. Another one of _my_ victims."

In anger, I start to push harder, and it looks like I get the upper hand for a moment. His ankles are off over the edge, but he's still laughing.

"Pathetic!" He screams, pushing back with the mace with all of his might and sending me teetering. I have to pull the trident away from him in order to steady my hands and regain my balance, but he takes full advantage of my opening and clubs m on the side of the head with his mace, watching as I tumble down into the darkness with the rest of them.

~Kyrain's POV~

I am the last one standing. As the platform gets so small that I'm the only one it can accommodate, I scream to the sky. I am the monarch of this arena! Stronger than even the so called 'god among tributes' and his goddess! The Cornucopia has melted away, and the platform only leaves me standing there. Eventually, it just disappears from under me completely and I fall in as well, victorious and assured that I can take on _anything_ that might be waiting below.

**(A/N: And there it is! The bloodbath is over and the deaths have been tallied. There were six deaths for those who were keeping track, and for those who weren't don't worry! I'll update the T-List with those tributes who died, and I will continue to do so as the Games continue.**

**Let me know what you think with a review, ladies and gentlemen! The Games will really begin next chapter, when we get to see a little bit more of the arena, and what happened to the tributes who fell in! ;3**

**Till next time, Hungry Gamers, bye bye!)**


	35. Abstract Structures

**(Shadowheart10's A/N: Time for it to start, ladies and gentlemen! The bloodbath is over, and now it's time for the tributes to discover what they're **_**really**_** up against, and if TeamAvatar and I have anything to say about it, they're gonna be in for a treat! :D**

**Let us leapeth forth and taketh thine look-see, hm?)**

~Paisley's POV~

The loud signature sound of the Hunger Games' tribute death cannon stirs me from sleep. I groggily raise a hand to my aching head… Something hit me while I was talking to Franklin, and I think it knocked me out… The sound of the cannon again gives me enough of a jump to wake me up fully, and I look around. This is not where I was before…

I stand up and furl my eyebrows as the cannon sounds another four times, and then it stops. Only six deaths? That's very strange… There was no way off of that platform, unless…

I gasp and glance around at my immediate surroundings. It's not just the platform anymore. I've fallen into an environment. The sky s as black as night, but everything below the sky seems to be gently illuminated by all of the blocks and squares. There are blocks of different, strange shapes and colors floating about, and even abstract structures made from the blocks.

"CHOUX ABALINE." a booming male voice sounds overhead somewhere. I gasp and look up, seeing a virtual image of that really mean boy from Five up in the sky. His image suddenly explodes into shards and it replace by two big red words that the same voice from before reads a moment later:

"GAME OVER."

The words disappear, and another face comes up. The boy from Six. I forget his name.

"KERN RANKLINE. GAME OVER." the voice projects again as the image shatters and is replace by those two big words again. I gasp as I realize that they're announcing the deaths! I didn't think they did that until the evening, but… I guess there's no evening in a virtual world. The voice continues to list the dead.

"SORREL MIGFLY. GAME OVER. THORNE FAGAN. GAME OVER."

My heart starts to race as I realize that Franklin's name might be next. I shut my eyes and bite my lip as I wait for it…

"DAWN KYRA. GAME OVER."

I gasp. I'm glad that Franklin is safe of course, but Dawn was one of my allies, too! I'm sad that she's gone so early…

"ARIANA RULAN-EVANS. GAME OVER."

My blood chills again. Another one of my allies, and Ariana was one of my favorite tributes besides Franklin. S-She was so carefree and so sweet and happy… I can't help but shed a tear and hope her death was quick and painless… That's it, then. Those are all the tributes that died, which means that there are fourteen enemies somewhere in this block forest and three twelve-year-old allies that are most likely helpless and alone, like I am…

~Tixxie's POV~

I was glad to see that Trexler wasn't one of the six who died, but now there's the issue of finding him in this giant field of strange shapes made from glowing blocks. Flat paths have been carved into the ground, but odd oblong and abstract structures and walls are standing all around me, blocking my view of a lot of this huge arena…

I assess my situation. I almost got blown up. I have no armor, no idea where I am, and no clue whether or not any enemies are close. I'm hungry already… Stupid tiny stomach. I look around and see that some of the nearby walls and structures have blocks protruding out of them. It's not the safest move in the world, but if I can get up to higher ground, I might just have a better idea of what I'm up against.

With a running jump, I manage to grab onto a protuberant orange block and climb up to sit on it. Looking around again, I see another orange block sticking out a few feet away. I take a small leap and land on that one, turning and reaching up to climb onto the top of one of the many walls that surround me. As I peer around and get a good feel for what exactly I'm in, I just can't help but gasp in amazement.

In the sky all around me, those block structures were flying and spinning about into different positions. None of them were rising or falling; they were all floating about parallel to the ground. I looked around the ground and saw that the entire arena was composed of the structures above. A little ways away from my position was a giant glowing line which appeared to divide the arena is half… Wait, what's that?

I squint my eyes as I notice something spinning nearby, on top of one of the arena's block walls. Could that be a power-up? I waste no time and start walking along the wall, taking a climbing step where the wall block was raised and a careful descending step where it dipped. When I get a close as I can to the power-up, I see that on it is a shield with the term '+5' in the center of it. My guess is that it's armor! This must be what the head trainer meant when she was talking about finding armor in the arena!

I steel my resolve and prepare to jump at the armor power-up, when suddenly, there's a shaking feeling underneath me. I teeter on top of the all, trying to keep my balance, but it's no use. I tumble down off of the way and land on my butt, dazed and pissed off… That is, until I see that the block that I was just standing on suddenly rises into the air! Other blocks around me start to rise into the air as well from the tops of their structures, and even some of the blocks that are already in the sky rise higher. Those blocks that have risen start heading west from me, and I'm stuck wondering what's going on…

It all becomes clear to me, though, when I see that after floating away for a while and passing over the glowing line, the blocks that had risen begin to fall onto the _other_ side of the arena…

~Meaghen's POV~

I gasp and yelp as one of those weird tile-like structures in the air falls right in front of me and nearly squashes me! My heart is suddenly racing now… I look up and see that it's raining blocks all around me, and another one is tumbling right over my head. I start to run, just moments before a yellow square structure would've flattened me.

I have to weave back and forth to avoid the structures as they continue to rain down fast and hard onto the arena with resounding thumps each time one makes contact with another. I stop as I reach a sort of intersection… I'm still in danger of being crushed, so I have to keep moving! To my left is a dead end, so I start to run down the path in front of me, but the blocks fall in front of me and bar my path. I start to wonder if the Gamemakers have anything to do with how these structures are falling… With a curse under my breath, I run down the rightmost path, which leads into a building-like edifice with a doorway.

I'm almost smashed by a large block as I run under the cover of the roofed building of glowing blocks, out of the crushing rain. I start to breathe a sigh of relief, but am forced to gasp the sigh back at the sound of footsteps approaching. I watch as Ellie, the clumsy girl from Seven who got a two in training, run into the edifice from another entrance to my left. She turns to look at me and gasps, too. We stare at each other for a long time, until another person runs into the shelter from the entrance to my right. I turn and nearly choke on another gasp as I see a mace-wielding Kyrain gritting his teeth and looking behind him at the rain of deadly blocks outside. All of a sudden, large solid blocks materialize in front of all three of the entrances, trapping all three of us inside…

*drip!*

A power-up makes a little dripping sound as it lands in front of me and bounces. It's a spinning 3-D question mark… Similar power-ups land in front of Ellie and Kyrain. As Kyrain looks at it, the mace in his hands disintegrates.

"What?" he growls at the air. These Gamemakers are in control of _everything_…

I reach out to touch the power-up, and when I do, it explodes into a burst of pixels, which surround my hands and come together again to form large gauntlets around my hands with blue glowing energized knuckles. Ellie and Kyrain touch their power-ups and get similar gauntlets, however, Ellie and Kyrain both have their armor restored to full. My armor was full to begin with.

I swallow as it becomes clear to me what this is all about. Kyrain turns and stares coldly at me, then turns his glare to Ellie, whose shock turns into rigidity.

"Hmph… I get the feeling that only one of us is going to leave this place alive…" she utters icily, voicing my thoughts exactly.

A cannon goes off that sounds a lot like a tribute's death cannon, but to Kyrain, it might as well be the signal to start swinging. He bursts forward as soon as the cannon fires, raising his fists at Ellie.

~Marie's POV~

I gasp as I see the block closing in from the air in front of me, and I try to stop quickly to turn around and run in the other direction, but as soon as I stop, the block crashes down heavily onto my foot before I an start running again.

I scream out in pain as my foot is crushed underneath the unmovable block and brings my armor down to zero. To make matters worse, I can't stop myself from turning my body, and since my foot can't budge, I shatter my ankle as well and tear the muscles, sending waves of hell up my leg and spine. I successfully turn and fall onto my stomach, but my foot remains upright and prone, still trapped in its position under the block. My ankle looks horribly mangled and twisted…

Tears sting my eyes and screams burn my throat as I try desperately to pull away, but it's no use! _I'm trapped!_ Other blocks fall around me, dangerously close to crushing my torso, and I shut my eyes, waiting for them to kill me, but suddenly, the thumping noises of the blocks striking each other stop.

My eyes flutter open and stare up at the sky. My vision is blurred by the horrible pain in my leg, but I manage to focus for long enough to see that the block rain has stopped and all of the blocks in th air are moving parallel to the ground again… Except for one. One long I-shaped block that is looming right above my head is perfectly still in the air.

My blood runs cold and no words can be formed. I just watch as the block hangs above me in the air for the longest time… As soon I consider that the block _might_ not fall on me after all, it rockets down to the ground and flattens my head before I can even scream.

"MARIE GOLD. GAME OVER."

**(A/N: Sorry that this chapter is so short. n_n; I promise you that the next chapter will be a bit longer and focus on the awakening of more of the characters. I just had to establish an example out of the first real death in the Games. I get the feeling that Awesomesauce won't even know that Marie was killed, given the fact that since submitting his/her form to me, he/she hasn't given **_**a single**_** review. I assume that he/she wasn't reading the story anymore, so on that note, his/her character is no longer in the story, either.**

**Cold? Mean? Maybe. But an example **_**has**_** been firmly established to those who submitted tributes, I assume. Constructive reviews, no matter how short, **_**MIGHT **_**just protect your tributes. For how long is indeterminable. But a lack of reviews or, in the case of Marie, none at all? Well… Good luck out there, tributes. ;)**

**With that said, give me your reviews, Hungry Gamers! n_n Your favorite **_**might**_** just live to see another day! Also, post your opinion on what you think this part of the arena (and the bloodbath arena, for extra credit) is based off of. Here's a hint: the classic game it's based off of has its own neurological syndrome named after it. n_n I'm not giving any hints for the bloodbath arena's inspiration. ;D Get to guessing!**

**Till next time! Bye bye!)**


	36. Superhero

**(A/N: I started typing this at 2 in the morning, because my phone woke me up. It's *New email!* jingle might as well have been my alarm clock. I got **_**eight**_** new emails all within one hour of each other! And after waking up and reading the reviews I got, there was no way I was going back to sleep, so I just came down and started typing! n_n**

**Everyone's apologizing all of a sudden for not reviewing! xD I suppose last chapter really had an effect, didn't it? You're all forgiven! :D And it breaks my heart that I have to kill your characters, it really does! :( If I had a choice, I'd save all of them!**

**The person who was the first to have guessed correctly for this level of the arena has been notified already. If I haven't PMed you yet, you either did not guess correctly or you did not guess in time. The answer to the arena question was… Tetris! The answer to the bloodbath arena question is still up in the air, though! Guess quickly!**

**Onward!)**

~Jinstance's POV~

"Gah!"

The sound of cannon causes me to wake up with a start, looking around quickly. The oddness of the arena takes my breath away… All the colorful glowing block things… I just want to _touch_ everything!

"MARIE GOLD. GAME OVER." I hear in the air. Furling my eyebrows, I start to stand up, wondering how a Career who got a ten in training managed to die so quickly…

"Sleep well?" I hear Ebony's voice ask. I turn my head and see her crouching on top of one of the taller walls, which is still pretty short. Only three blocks high. She seems to be watching something.

"Yeah, what'd I miss?" I ask, standing and walking up to join her.

"There was just a block rain on the other side of the arena. The Gamemakers took blocks from this side and dropped them on people over there. I'm guessing Marie from One got smashed. It's too early for anyone to have found anyone in this forest of blocks."

"How'd you find me?" I ask.

"We were beside each other when I woke up. I guess we ended up in the same area since you held my hand when we jumped." she explains. "Do you have any knives left?"

"Ah…" I murmur, feeling my person. This thing doesn't have any pockets…

"How many knives did you have?" Ebony asks.

"Five. I only threw four." I say with a shrug. "I guess the other one got lost on the way down.

"Nah… Think about your last knife." she says.

My high brows furl a little, but I shrug and think about the fifth of my five knifes that I got with a power-up in the bloodbath. I feel my hand close around something, and when I look, lo and behold, my last knife is in my hand!

"Good." Ebony says, materializing her axe into her hand with the same method, I assume. "Let's go."

"Go? Where?" I ask as Ebony jumps from her spot on top of the wall. She points to the other side of the arena…

"Why are we going over there?" I inquire, following Ebbs as she starts walking.

"Look around, Jinstance. The blocks all around us are getting dimmer. Even the ones over there. There's a lot more cover over there, so we're in less danger when the blocks go out. Besides, I'd rather be in a place where the blocks are rising rather than where the blocks will be falling."

Can't argue with that… I hold the knife tightly in my hand as Ebony and I start to trek toward the intimidating other side… But I can't help but dwell on what she said. The blocks are losing their light… Is this what that D1 mentor meant by 'blacked out'? And if it is, how did she know anything about this arena?

~Aylau's POV~

C-Cold… This arena is so cold when the blocks aren't lit… I'm crouched in a small crevice that's two blocks high and just large enough to fit me, and I'm shivering. Whenever I breathe out, the fog is thick and nearly opaque… I'm sure the Gamemakers could… I don't know, make the game warmer, but slow torture seems to be their fetish, even though it's an unpopular method…

I want to leave. Maybe walking around will get my muscles warmed up again… But before I can, I hear something in the chilling quiet. Footsteps. I stop moving immediately and let the ice grip my body. They're getting closer, and my heart is pounding louder than it ever has. Under the prosthetic on my hand, my chilled knuckles are starting to blanch, and I think I might faint when I see a shadow approaching. I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for whoever's approaching to stab me, shoot me, or bash my skull in, but I'm taken aback suddenly by a familiar voice.

"Aylau?"

My eyes fly open as I look up at Franklin's surprised face as he stares at me.

"F-Franklin..? Franklin!" I cry, crawling out from my cubby and wrapping my arms around him, careful not to disturb my prosthetic. He stumbles backward and I almost cause him to fall, but I don't let go. Partially because I'm so glad to see one of my allies, but mostly because he's warm…

After a moment, he awkwardly starts to hug me, too. "You haven't seen Paisley or anyone else have you?" he asks.

"No…" I tell him, pulling away for a moment. Just as I do, I hear the Capitol's anthem start to play, and a web-like glowing mesh comes over the sky. In the mesh's center is the Capitol's national symbol… Death recaps.

The mean boy from Five appears first, followed by both from Six, the cute boy from Seven, and then Dawn and Ariana appear… It almost brings tears to my eyes…

Franklin sighs. "Paisley's the only bigger tribute left of our alliance… We have to find her; we won't survive out here with just the two of us."

Franklin holds out his hand, and a floating piece of break materializes. It looks virtual, though. Not bread you can eat.

"I found this while I was walking. It was floating on the floor of the arena. I thought it was a trap, but it hasn't blown up or turned into a mutt yet, though, so…"

"Do you… eat it?" I ask, furling my eyebrows.

"I think you have to crush power-ups in your hand in order to obtain what they hold. At least that's the case when it's food… Wanna crush it?"

I blink at the floating bread for a moment, then squeeze it with my good hand. It breaks apart into pixels, then reforms into a packet of crackers in Franklin's hand.

"Huh. I thought for sure it'd be bread… Not that I'm disappointed." I say with a shrug as Franklin opens the packet.

"Maybe the bread is just a general icon." he considers, handing me a couple of crackers. "No reason to go anywhere right now. Wanna just stay here and watch each other's backs?"

I smile as I chew the crunchy wafers. "Sure!"

~Trexler's POV~

"Ow!" I growl as something foamy bounces off of my head with a dripping sound, then lands on the ground in front of me. I rub my head and stare at it for a moment. It's a bubble-like golden packet wrapped up tightly in circuit-like strings. In the middle of the strings is a circular emblem with the letters 'XL' imprinted on them.

"XL..?" I read, confused. This must be some sort of sponsor gift… With a small swallow, I crush the thing in my hands and see what I get!

The packet exploded in a shower of golden pixels which swirl around me for several seconds before… flying up and away into the air. That's it? That's my gift? A little light show? Sigh…

I roll my eyes and raise my gun again, trying to make my way slowly through the nearly pitch-black arena. I do notice that there is a sort of light in the distance. Maybe the Gamemakers are keeping some of the blocks lit..? But why?

~Ellie's POV~

I gasp and duck underneath Kyrain's fist as the gauntlet smashes into the block wall behind me. I roll out of the way as his other fist tries to smash me into the floor. When I get up, my fists are raised now. Meaghen, though, is still cowering in her place at her entrance…

"C'mon!" I yell. "Pull your weight! We can beat him if we work toget-"

I'm interrupted by a jarring fist to the jaw which sparks my armor and sends me flying. I drop from ten to six off of one punch… I quickly get up, and Kyrain's gauntlets groan as he cracks his knuckles, but my eyes glimmer when I see Meaghen run forward and punch Kyrain in the back with all of her might. It manages to make him stumble forward and drop his armor to eight. In a rage, he quickly whirls around and brings the back of his hand across Meaghen's face, bringing her armor to six and well and sending her tumbling hard into the wall, which drops her to five.

Kyrain is now ignoring me, and all of his attention is now on Meaghen. I want to take this opportunity to clock him and bring him down lower, but that'd come back and bite me a lot harder than it'd be do me good…

"Meaghen, get up!" I yell instead. "You have to keep fighting!"

The disoriented girl tries to stand, but that backhand really knocked the wind out of her… She's not going to survive unless I help her! But I probably won't survive, either… As I'm racking my brain to make a decision, something strange happens. There's a sudden spark in the edifice that strikes me, Kyrain, and Meaghen! It drops all of our armors to zero instantly. There's also a pathway that leads out of the edifice and into the dark block forest outside…

This is definitely something that the Gamemakers have done for _me_… They're forcing me to make a critical choice. Stay and fight the armorless Kyrain and risk my own death and Meaghen's trying to kill him, or escape and save my own life, which will definitely be at Meaghen's expense…

Kyrain turns and stares at me, and he sees that the choice is mine to make as well… He laughs. "Go ahead. Come at me. You _both_ will die!"

He might be right, but maybe we can overpower him… I take another look at Meaghen, who's struggling to catch her breath on the floor, and I know that won't happen. He's right. And I can't afford to die yet.

"I'm sorry, Meaghen." I sigh, turning and sprinting out of the edifice and into the darkness.

"Ellie!" she shrieks after me, and it echoes on the air as the door materializes in front of the pathway again…

~Kyrain's POV~

I watch as that tiny coward runs as fast as she can away from the block building, and after the door materializes in front of the exit again, I burst out laughing, turning to look down at Meaghen, who is staring up at me in horror.

She starts to get up, but a swift knee to the side of the head, sends her to the floor again and causes her to cry out in pain.

"Some big 'superhero' _you_ are, hm?" I mockingly chuckle at her, watching as her eyes go downcast and tears fall from her eyes. I'm about to deliver the kill shot when there's a *ding!* in the air, and a power-up that looks like a shield with '+5' on it drops from the sky right on top of Meaghen, bringing her armor back up. She looks hopeful for a moment, and it enrages me. That must've been a last-ditch effort sponsor gift…

"That changes nothing!" I roar, reaching down and pressing her to the floor on her back before tightly clutching her armor generator and squeezing it.

"Ahh! No, stop!" she screams, to no avail, when the generator reaches zero, I crush it in my hand and rip it right off of her suit. Apparently, the generator generates the suit as well, because as soon as it's removed, the circuitry nodes on her suit go out, and the black outfit shrivels away to reveal her pale, bony, and pathetic nude form underneath, save for the gauntlets on her hands.

She's on her back, quaking in absolute terror now. She's too scared to even cover herself up. "N-No, stop! Please! I'll do anything you want, just please stop!" she screams at the top of her lungs.

"Anything?" I inquire with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Yes! _Anything!_" she yells, her voice getting hoarse and shrill.

A wicked grin slides across my face. "Alright, then, 'superhero'. Here's what I want you to do for me."

She starts to relax for a moment, and even smiles a little, but it quickly turns to horror again as I raise my foot into the air over her.

"Die." I say curtly before I bring my heavy foot down as hard as I can onto her stomach. There's a sickeningly satisfying *squish!* as her organs are pancaked under my heel, and the girl's eyes go wider than I've ever seen, right before an explosion of blood bursts out of her mouth. Some spatters on my chest, but the majority of it hits the wall.

Her upper body wrenched forward when I stepped on her, but as I take my foot off, she leans back to lay flat on the floor again. There's a heavy indentation in her gut where my foot smashed her, but as she takes in a slow, gurgling breath, it starts to fill again. Moments later, a giant blue bruise starts to form all across her stomach and chest, and as the seconds roll by, it shifts to a fatal-looking dark violet.

I back away a step and watch as she slowly rolls onto her stomach and rises to her hands and knees. Blood is trickling out of every orifice in her head: her tear ducts, her ear canals, her nose, and her mouth. I don't say anything and just watch as she crawls forward slowly, trying desperately to hold onto life, but before she can even crawl a step and a half, she starts to vomit more blood and just stays in place where she is, trembling violently. More seconds pass before her eyes finally roll back into her head and she collapses into her pool of blood, where she sighs out her last living breath.

Meaghen's cannon goes off, and a voice sounds above me.

"MEAGHEN CULP. GAME OVER."

I roar my victory to the sky, aware that _everyone_ is watching me. I know I'm being featured right now. I have to be.

"_Here's_ your entertainment, Centari!" I scream at the air. I know the President is watching, too.

The doors that are barring my exit disappear, but before I leave, I turn back to Meaghen's body, staring at her gauntlets. Something is drawing me to them…

I walk over and reach down to touch the metal fighting gloves, and when do, they suddenly explode into pixels and surround my own gauntlets. I feel a tingling on my hands and when the pixels explode outward again, my gauntlets have changed… Upgraded, it looks like. The gauntlets are a little bigger, and instead of just glowing energy knuckles, there are dire-looking glowing spikes protruding from each knuckle of my gloves.

"Oh, hell yes…" I murmur to myself. "Looks like you were good for something after all, 'superhero'…"

I turn and start to make my exit. As I do, the blocks all around me start rising and floating over to the other side of the arena. It looks like the block rain is going to strike again over there this time…

**(A/N: There you have it, ladies and gents! The second real death of the Games, and it's **_**not**_** pretty!**

**Demigodgirl1000 was the first to correctly guess 'Tetris' as the answer to the arena question, and she chose Trexler to receive an extra special gift. It may look like nothing right now, but I promise you, when he has to use the gift, you're going to **_**love**_** what it is, Demi. ;3**

**For now, I will italicize Trexler's name to indicate that he does have the extra-special gift. I dare you guys to guess what it is. :D**

**I'll give you guys a little hint about the bloodbath inspiration. I will say that it's very loosely inspired and you'll have to be a big fan of the saga in order to really get it. The hint is: the saga that it's inspired by is getting its own animated show on Disney XD next month. That, however, is only the **_**saga**_**. There is a game **_**within**_** the saga that the arena was based off of. I hope that helped, as little as it most likely did. n_n;**

**Sorry to ****OpTcxXxProtocol for killing Meaghen. :'( May she rest in peace!**

**Review, review, review! It's starting to get heavier up in here! Tell me what you think! The next chapter will feature a little more of the Career tributes and how they're getting along alone. ;)**

**Till next time, bye bye!)**


	37. Eat Your Cracker

**(A/N: Welcome back to the arena, Hungry Gamers, where anything can happen at this point. So far, a snob, a colonel, a criminal, an easy-goer, a mute, a songbird, a Career, and a superhero have all fallen. Which means one third of the tributes is pushing up daisies. Fifteen more heartbreaking deaths lefts. :'(**

**Let's see how the Careers are handling themselves, hm? Onward!)**

~Rhymer's POV~

I find myself watching the block rain as it spills onto the other side of the arena and hoping that it kills someone, but somehow, I think it's too early for the Gamemakers to target and kill someone else. They must've gotten Marie less than an hour ago, and there's sixteen of us left. Shaking my head, I turn and look around at the now mostly-barren 'landscape' where walls are no more than three blocks high. Luckily, I'm only two blocks tall, so that helps out a bit.

My armor is still at ten, and I'm full of energy right now, so I guess it's time to go kill someone. Food will come later. As I'm walking through the strange maze of blocks, my eyes turn up constantly toward the moving block formations in the sky, still glowing, despite the blocks on the ground being unlit. Moonlight, I guess. I'm hardly looking where I'm going, I'm so focused on the sky, and more than once, I shoulder a wall or bump my knee against a block. I don't mind, or really notice, until I touch my arm idly against a block to my right and a sharp warm shock makes me yelp and jump back.

I rub my arm and frown deeply as my armor ticks down to nine, then I look to see what hurt me. The top block on a two-block pillar is humming lowly and sharply and glowing a bright red. I hold my hand out to the block, and it warms me like a fire would… Gee, the Gamemakers really thought this arena through. I wonder what else could be in this weird place.

I ease myself to a sitting position beside the fireblock and just distractedly observe everything about it. The Gamemakers must've implemented these to keep us from freezing in the night. But as I look at it, I realize that it just might lead me to my first kill. I stand up and stare at the bright glow of the fireblock, then scan the area, gasping as I see the rise of a similar red glow not that far from where I am now!

I don't make time for myself to think as I sprint away from my own fireblock and start to weave past pillars and jump over short walls toward the other fireblock nearby, and hopefully an enemy. Excitement blinds me as I finally see the actual fireblock and a form crouching beside it, warming him or herself. I roar as I leap into the air with fingernails bared as claws, prepared to pounce on my prey, but he or she reacts quickly and rolls out of the way. My roar turns into a yell a I slam into the ground chest-first, evicting the air from my lungs. I gasp and flounder for half a moment before fighting against the soreness in my boobs to rise to my feet and face my opponent, or rather, his weapon.

The tip of a glowing energy blade is about an inch and a half away from my armor generator. There's a long and tense moment of me staring up the length of the blade, the firm chest and blue circuit-nodes of it wielder, and finally, the frowning face of my District counterpart.

~Bronwyn's POV~

As more and more falling blocks smash into the ground around me, I press my back against a wall and keep my eye above me, staying as still as possible and moving quickly when I see one directly above me or in my general vicinity. I end up moving quite a bit… It seems we're being targeted. And the more seconds pass, the harder it gets to maneuver the growing forest of blocks. If this keeps up, I'm going to be trapped…

Thinking quickly, I fit myself underneath a block that protrudes from the wall and tuck my knees to my chest, waiting out the remainder of the block rain. When the rumbling of falling blocks dims down and eventually quiets, I uncurl and ease myself out of the shelter. I sigh, and I don't like that I can see my breath so well. It's incredibly cold in the arena now, and I'll die with half-full armor if I don't find some warmth fast. I rub my hands together as I walk as quickly as possible through the twisted block forest, but it doesn't take long at all for me to start to twitch and shiver. Another minute passes, and I begin to lose feeling in my face and can no longer identify a clear rhythm to my heartbeat. Panic would set in if I could think straight.

I'm fully convinced that I'm going to die from shock until I see the warm glow of a red light nearby. I saunter as quickly as I can toward the light, hoping against hope that I'm not hallucinating. When I come close to the light, warmth begins to hug my body, and I all but collapse in front of the glowing red block sitting in the middle of a small clearing. The sudden heat flowing into my body is stinging and painful at first, but after a minute, I relax, pulling myself up to a sitting position.

Though my body is relaxed, my mind is in pieces. My hands come up to clasp against my temples to keep me from spinning out of control. I felt so strong as a goddess on the chariot… Even stronger when I got a nine in training, the highest female D4 tribute score since the last Quarter Quell. I felt my strongest just last night, sleeping beside Hunter. I even felt strong standing naked in a mechanical tube chamber, seconds before being translocated to the virtual arena. After all that, plus the Careers being beside me, I didn't think these Games would scare me as much as they do now that I'm here… Now that I'm alone with only two javelins to protect myself against tributes and mutts.

I look around at the ominous unlit block forest and realize that I have no idea where I'm going to start to try and find the rest of the Careers, or if I should. Marie died less than thirty minutes after the bloodbath ended. All of the remaining tributes are at the mercy of the Gamemakers. They could spawn a muttation right on top of me if they wanted. I wonder if the mutts' appearance will reflect the arena, or if they'll just be… well, mutts.

The blocks being unlit is supposed to represent night time, but I refuse to even think about sleeping until I find an ally. I pull myself to my feet and drink in the warmth of the glowing red heat block for a few moments longer before I turn and start running as fast and as silently as I can through the block forest. Envisioning one of my two remaining javelins, I summon and brandish it in front of me to protect myself. Cold slowly begins to grip me again as I look quickly around for the glow of nodes or the glow of another heat block. As my head turns in one direction, something solid slams into me on the other side and sends me spinning and sprawling on the ground. I keep my grip on my javelin and stand to see who I ran into. Whoever it is, it's too small to be Agate or Jet, so I'm hoping it's Rhymer. Still to my surprise, but mainly my disappointment, I see that the person's nodes are orange, and I watch as the tiny boy from Eleven, Chiro, fights to stand to his feet. He and I meet eyes for half a moment, and all I see is terror. Wordlessly, he turns and continues running in the direction he had been running before our collision. I get the feeling he wasn't running away from me…

I turn my head in the direction he came from and see the red glow similar to the one of the heat block I just abandoned. It's too close to be the same heat block, though, and then I hear the grinding noise and realize that the light is getting closer. I dive out of the way as something giant roars across the ground. I look back and brandish my javelin again, trying to determine exactly what the thing is.

It's entire body appears to be composed of thick metal rings that start small at the tail and get bigger all the way to the head. The rings rotate in a clockwise-counterclockwise pattern, and the large ring that makes up the head emits a gentle orange glow, which could easily be ignored for the bright red glow of the small blocks lining the inside of the head ring. It has heat blocks for 'teeth'… As the rings spin, they grind against each other and make a terrible din… It's a literal ringworm. It's also my first muttation of the Games…

As the beast turns its head toward me, the faint orange glow quickly turns as green as my nodes. Its head starts to spin rapidly, making its heat block teeth look a thousand times deadlier. I slowly back away, holding my javelin up, fully aware that the change of glow color from Chiro's nodes to my nodes means that it's now targeting me. With a terrible screech, it starts to lunge at me, and I move just in time to avoid having my armor, and subsequently my head, shredded to pieces. As the ringworm recovers, I turn and begin to run as fast as I can. There's no way I can fight that thing, and if there are other mutts even worse than _that_, I'm suddenly unsure of my chances in the arena…

~Jet's POV~

It was hard for me to fathom at first who would be brave or stupid enough to announce their presence as they tried to strike me… When I saw that it was Rhymer, it started to make sense. When she sees its me, she sighs.

"Oh, Jet, it's just you." she says, visibly relaxing.

I should club her on the head for that stupid move, but instead I just squint and lower my weapon, dismissing it with a thought. "Rhymer, what the hell did you think you were going to accomplish by screaming and leaping onto a tribute with no weapon?"

"Well, you're the last one I would've thought that trick would work on." she responds, rolling her eyes. "I was hoping it was one of those twelve-year-old brats."

The way she casually expresses her desire to frighten and murder a twelve-year-old perplexes me a little more than it should, but I just cross my arms. "You've still got no weapon. You threw it away at Kyrain." I say, which still confuses me. Then again, everything about Rhymer confuses me.

She gives a sore wince as she squeezes her breasts together. It's way too hard to try and keep serious around her when she's so damn _quirky_! "He would've killed the Eight boy." she responds, not looking up from her chest. "I want to be the one that takes him and his sister out. Besides, it was just a little knife. I'll find a better weapon. Maybe a spear or a sword, like yours."

As she talks, she walks over to the heat block and squats down right where I'd been sitting before she showed up. This irks me, but I dismiss thoughts of hitting her and sit beside her.

"Guess this is where-" I pause in my thought and pull Rhymer's hands forcefully away from her breasts. "Guess this is where the Pack starts to come together again." I say, looking back to the heat block. "With Marie dead somehow, the only ones still out there are Agate and Bronwyn. Once we find them-"

"Once we find them, the first thing we're gonna do is hunt down the siblings from Eight." Rhymer interrupts, crossing her arms under her chest.

I frown. There are much more dangerous targets than the two from Eight… "Why?"

"To prove a point." Rhymer answers. "No one stands against District Two or anyone allied with us."

At least she's honest in her misguided intentions. I shake my head. "That shouldn't be our priority."

"That was always our first priority." she throws back.

"Yeah, it was. We killed two of the older members of that Anti-Pack, Bronwyn destroyed the armor of the third, I'm betting, and then three are kids. Besides, they're most likely all lost and frightened. We got our point across." I tell her, hoping she'll see sense. What she responds with, though, surprises me.

"You can't kill a snake by cutting off its tail. You've gotta crush its head, or else it's still a threat." She looks me right in the eye as she quotes something that Alto said near the beginning of this semester at JACCT, during the first Art of Strategy lesson he taught the guys. I don't know how she could hear Alto say that, but that's the first time I realize how much he must mean to her. It's admirable.

"As long as the Siblings are still alive, there's that threat to us looming in the air. And with us so separated, right now, the idea of the Anti-Pack coming together faster than we can, or even coming together at all, is a bigger threat than Kyrain or Hunter. To me, at least." Rhymer finishes.

"Alright, fine…" I sigh. "But first we've got to find Agate and Bronwyn. Think they're on this side, or where the block rain fell?"

Rhymer shrugs and gets up to her feet. "Doesn't matter right now. It's too cold to start looking for anyone right now. I say we just fortify here until the blocks come back on. I'm not tired, so you rest up first.

No arguments there… I shrug my shoulders and get as close as I dare to the heat block, laying on the hard ground and trying my best to sleep as comfortably as I can.

~Franklin's POV~

Turns out, there _was_ reason to go somewhere… We watched as the block rain fell upon the other half of the arena, and for a while, we were pretty warm, just sitting together eating crackers talking… After a while, we decided we needed to move and put the crackers away, beginning to rove the clearer half of the arena, watching for any tributes. No more than a minute after we started moving, the arena suddenly became _incredibly_ cold… We keep walking, hugging each other to share heat, but it's not long before we're too cold to give each other warmth anymore, so we're just walking as quickly as we can right now, trying to find warmth _somewhere_. If we die out here, better that we die trying.

I have to almost literally drag Aylau along with me. She was unbearably cold when I found her, but it's starting to get too much for her, I can tell. She's coughing every few seconds, and her skin is turning blue, clashing evilly with her jaundice. She can barely walk, and there are signs of frost in her hair.

"F-Franklin…" she wheezes. "I'm…. g-going to d-die… C-Cracker…"

"We're gonna f-find warmth, A-A-Aylau; s-stay with m-me… We'll s-stop and eat the last t-two crackers once we g-get warm." I respond.

My day brightens as I see a red glow not far from here. "Aylau, s-stay with me! W-We may have f-found s-some heat!"

"C-Cracker…" Aylau repeats, more urgently now.

"You'll g-get your cracker soon, Aylau. J-Just-" I start to pull her as fast as I can toward the glow, but a voice stops me dead in my tracks and freezes me colder than I am already.

"You can't kill a snake by cutting off its tail." says the voice of the twitchy girl from Two. "You've gotta crush its head or else it's still a threat."

I can see her, _and_ her District partner, sitting beside a warm-looking red block. I can almost feel its heat from here… If one of them turns their head even slightly, they'll see us! I quickly clasp my hand over Aylau's mouth and pull her aside, behind a low block wall. Her eyelids are low and her breathing is incredibly shallow. She could die within the next five minutes if she isn't warmed up _fast_! But that's the only heat block visible around here…

"Aylau…" I whisper, pain in my voice. She blinks slowly, and I can barely feel her breath on my hand.

"I'm not tired, so you rest up first." I hear Rhymer say nearby. There's no moving them… Aylau's gonna die in my arms.

"I'm so sorry, Aylau…" I croak softly. She blinks slowly again and nods her head. She speaks slowly, and I can just barely hear her.

"C…..C….C-Cracker…"

I think about the pack of crackers we shared and it appears in my free hand. There are only two crackers left… I hiccup painfully as I take one out and put it carefully in Aylau's mouth. She chews slowly and when she swallows, it looks painful. I'm glad I could've granted her last wish... I close my eyes, expecting to hear Aylau's death cannon any second now…

"Eat your cracker…" I hear her voice say, stronger. I open my eyes wide, in time to see her weakly pulling herself out of my grip and standing. She looks a lot less cold. In fact, she seems to be making her _own_ heat…

"W… What…. how…." I whisper, confused.

"Franklin, look at the cracker." she whispers.

Utterly flabbergasted, I take out the last cracker and examine it. It's a flat wafer. Just a flat wafer… Then I turn it around and realize… On the back of the flat wafer is a small red drawing of a cartoon fireball.

"Firecracker…" I mutter, quickly stuffing it in my mouth. _That's_ how we stayed so warm! The crackers were keeping us warm, ad when we stopped eating them, the effect wore off after about a minute! If I had known this earlier, I would've saved them…

As soon as I swallow the cracker, my entire body feels incredibly warm. I stand up with Aylau and she grabs my hand with her good one, silently pulling me away from the two Careers.

"We've got about a minute…" she says, quickly starting to look around. I hear her gasp, then pull me along quickly. "Another fire block!"

Just as icy hands grip my body again, we find the second fire block and crouch beside it, sighing with relief.

"I thought I lost you…" I sigh quietly. Aylau looks at me and smiles.

"If you had listened to me the first two times, this wouldn't have happened."

"Oh, you're a jokester now…" I snort. This makes her laugh a little. I can't remember what else was said after that, but less than a minute later, she's asleep against me, and it doesn't take long for me to fall asleep, as well…

**(A/N: Merry Christma-geddon, everyone! It's not the end of the world, but it's the beginning of a new era! Today marks the official continuation of the story that was brutally murdered months ago. That story fell under the banner of Shadowheart10, but rises again twice as good under the banner of Calamity Heart! :D**

**Leave your reviews, if you please! I'd love to hear what you think about what's going on and hear support for your favorite characters. For those of you interested, there's a poll on my profile page, asking whether you're for Team Jet or Team Hunter, which I've dully noted as being existent within some comments. If you're for a different cheesy Twilight-esque team, be sure to let me know in your reviews. ;3**

**From your appreciative author, Calamity Heart, have a very merry Christmas and a slap-happy New Year!)**


	38. Coward Coward Coward

**(A/N: Welcome back, Hungry Gamers! I would like to highly recommend you read Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth. Ermahgerd, AMAZING books!**

**No deaths last chapter. Let's see if that changes this chapter, no?)**

~Ellie's POV~

I shouldn't feel this way… So why do I? I crumble down to the floor beside a heat block and hold my head in my hands, unable to get those booming words out of my head.

"_MEAGHEN CULP: GAME OVER."_

She's dead because of me. If I had stayed and we'd fought Kyrain together, we might've beaten him. We may even have allied… But I abandoned her to save my own skin.

_She had a family you're going to have to face if you win._

_**She was going to die anyway, and so were you, if you'd stayed.**_

I grit my teeth as my conscience wars with me survival instinct. I stand and start to walk, ignoring the cold stabbing into my body as I leave the safety of the heat block.

_You're a coward._

_**You had no choice.**_

_She had a family._

_**So do you.**_

_Better to have died valiantly than to live a coward._

_**You'll forget about her. Keep moving.**_

_How many Victors do you know who have forgotten..?_

"SHUT UP!" I scream at the top of my lungs, dropping to my knees and hugging myself. The voices don't listen, no matter how much I scream. Eventually, I just give up and let them boil my brain with their jeers and cold reassurances.

_**It was your first kill technically. Be proud of it.**_

_Abandoning her and letting her get murdered is nothing to be proud of._

_**It shouldn't mean anything to you. This is the Hunger Games.**_

_It always means something. Nobody who wins the Hunger Games really wins._

_Coward._

_**Survivor.**_

_Coward._

_**Sensible.**_

_Coward. _

_**Logical.**_

_Coward. Coward. COWARD._

I don't even hear the gunshot, but I am thankful for it. As I feel the energy bullet tear through my back and make my body jerk forward before collapsing face down on the ground, the voices recede and I hear nothing. I feel nothing. And feeling nothing is better than what I was feeling a moment ago. My chest is wet with my blood as my vision begins to close in on me.

'I'm sorry, Meaghen.' is my last mortal thought.

~Trexler's POV~

Wow… My first kill… I slowly lower my weapon as I watch the life drain out of the Seven's body. I tried to make myself feel nothing as I pulled the trigger. The scary thing is, it worked… No guilt, no sadness. I just… did it. I turn around and start away from the girl's dying body, waiting for the cannon to fire. I take two turns and come to the halfway point on the arena right in front of the block forest, before I finally hear it.

"ELLIE JAXS: GAME OVER."

I can't stop now. I trudge into the forest before I have time to feel bad for her family. I notice that it's the same temperature in the thicker block forest as it is outside of it. Ecological fault on the part of the Gamemakers, I suppose. Then again, this isn't a real forest. All I know is, I've got to find-

"Warmth!" I gasp aloud, quickly covering my mouth and hoping I didn't draw attention to myself, like the Seven did when she screamed. I probably wouldn't have found her if she'd stayed quiet. She was on her knees… Did I just kill someone who was praying..?

I can't stop now… I shake off the dark thoughts and start to run as silently as I can toward the red glow I see in the distance. After a few seconds, I notice something's wrong. The glow is moving.

There's a metallic roar, and the glow suddenly lurches quickly in the direction it's moving. A mighty crash, and the sound of what I think are blocks falling, maybe? And then I hear a scream. _Tixxie's scream_.

"Tixxie!" I shout, not caring who hears me anymore. "Tixxie, hold on! I'm coming!"

~Bronwyn's POV~

I fall to the ground, my breath heavy and my heart about to explode in my chest. I just barely flew out of the way of the ringworm's charge, and it blasted into a block tree, causing it to explode and send block shrapnel everywhere. I hear a little girl's scream… Aylau? Rhymer? I crawl on my hands and knees, not daring to look up until I'm sure I'm still not being chased. I don't hear the ringworm as close anymore, so I look up, crouching behind a block, and try to find it.

It doesn't take me long. I see the giant creature in a clearing circling around a tiny form with silver nodes, crouching next to a heat block. The girl from Three. She looks frozen with fear, and her cheek is cut, probably from shrapnel. Which means she doesn't have armor… I can't recall her name, but I don't think much of it. I'm sure I'll be hearing it in a few seconds after the ringworm turns her into a bloody pile…

"Tixxie!" I hear a male voice call. _That's_ her name. "Tixxie, hold on! I'm coming!"

I watch as on the other side of the clearing, the boy from Three charges into the clearing, staring with wide eyes at the ringworm. Then he sees Tixxie surrounded by the creature, and his face changes. With little hesitation, he lifts what's in his hand, a gun, and fires at the ringworm several times. The mutt, which looked as if it would overtake Tixxie had there been a second more of delay, convulses and shrieks as it is assaulted with energy bullets. While it's distracted, Tixxie quickly scrambles up and flees behind her District partner.

The boy continues to fire until the gun in his hands produces clicks instead of energy bullets. The mutt looks incredibly weakened, but it's not dead. It grinds its rings together angrily and starts to creep toward the duo, who back away from it. I feel my grip tighten on the javelin in my hand, and before I know it, I'm standing and throwing the projectile in a dangerous arc. It strikes the ringworm right between its head ring and its first body ring. Both rings stop moving. The javelin wedged between them has stopped all motion in the ringworm, and it is just groaning and trembling with strain. Eventually, the strain is too much and the beast falls apart into a dead collection of rings, as well as several power-ups, including one giant metal box.

The duo from Three look stunned. I look around at the spoils of the ringworm's defeat: an armor power-up with a 10 on it, several ammunition power-ups, two food power-ups, a backpack power-up, and then the giant metal box. Looking closely at the wording on the side, I see that it says 'MEGAWEAPON'.

For a moment, I consider using my last javelin to kill Tixxie myself and use whatever Megaweapon is in that container to finish her friend. They don't look like they have any idea what happened, and now's the perfect time to strike. The javelin is in my hand and aimed… but then I see the two of them hugging. …I can't do it.

A conscience in the Hunger Games is the last thing that I need. But I can't do it, and I couldn't say why if I was asked. I just dismiss the javelin and turn, entering the darkness of the block forest again and looking around for a nearby heat block to rest beside.

~Tixxie's POV~

All I can do is just stare stunned as the metallic mutt falls apart and leaves behind a bunch of power-ups. I notice a power-up with 10 points of armor on it. My first instinct should be to grab it, but it isn't. My first instinct isn't to investigate the large 'MEGAWEAPON' box. My first instinct isn't even a thank you. My first instinct is to turn and jump, throwing myself onto Trexler in a hug.

I had no idea how much I missed Trexler until just now, as I hug him as tightly as I can. I almost knock him over, but he stays upright, much to his credit.

"I'm glad you're not dead, Tix." he says, hugging me back. I don't respond, and just continue to cling to him until my arms tire and I drop down to the ground again. I want to look back up at him, but I don't, and I don't know why. I immediately turn my attention to grabbing the armor power-up and feeling safety and security wash over me as my armor rises to ten again. Trexler grabs some ammo power-ups, and then we both turn our attention to the metal 'MEGAWEAPON' container…

Trex walks up to it and just looks at the box without touching it. It doesn't look like it opens from anywhere, so touching it must do something. Trex turns to me and looks me over.

"Weapon?" he asks.

"None." I answer, showing my empty hands.

"Then you should take it." he says, stepping aside. I trot up to the box and realize to my chagrin that I'm only a head taller than it. The box hums softly as I slowly raise my hand toward it. I'm almost sure my heart is visibly pounding against my chest as my hand reaches out for it. I bite my lip and close my eyes as I touch my fingertips to the container.

As soon as I make contact with the warm surface of the container, something magnetic draws my hand so that my entire palm is pressed against the container. I panic and try to pull my hand away, but I can't. I'm stuck. And I panic harder.

"Trex! Help!" I yell, trying harder to free myself from the box. It begins to hum louder and the surface gets hotter. Trex comes to my aid and plants a foot on the box as he tries to pry my arm away from the box. He yelps as he loses his grip and tumbles backwards, and I'd sigh with disappointment if I wasn't terrified. Within seconds, the box is so hot that it hurts, and silver angled nodes similar to my own begin to spread across the surface area of the box, originating from my hand. The hum is louder. The glowing nodes grow brighter until all I see is light grey. I scream. And then I hear a voice all around me.

"TIXXIE FINNEGAN: MEGAWEAPON."

~Agate's POV~

That doesn't sound good… I look up to the sky as I hear the booming announcement, and I see it nearby: a great silver light. I step away from my heat block and just stare at the light until it dims. Whatever sort of 'Megaweapon' that tiny brat from Three has will be wasted in her hands. Someone, meaning me, should take that weapon from her before she learns how to use it… But can I handle that alone?

I don't have to answer my own question. I lower my head from the glow up in the air to the dark block trees in front of me as I hear a grunt and watch Bronwyn emerge from the shadows.

We meet eyes for a moment before she sighs with relief. "Thank goodness I found someone." Dunno why I was expecting a hug… I shrug and nod.

"Glad I found you, too. Now, let's go." I start to pull her along in the direction she came from, and she blinks in surprise.

"Eat this. It'll warm you up." I tell her, handing her a warming wafer from a food power-up I found. She places it in her mouth and eats it, and immediately stops shivering.

"Where are we going?" she asks, frowning at me. I tilt my head toward where the light came from.

"To kill Tixxie Finnegan, apparently, before she gets used to that Megaweapon." I tell her, picking up the pace a little.

"She's not alone." Bronwyn warns me. "And do you even have a weapon?"

I extend my free hand and call my glowing flanged mace to materialize in my hand The head is still caked with Ariana's blood. "Landed next to me a little while ago." I explain. "What luck, eh? Thought I lost it for good. Good thing it's back. I like bludgeons. What about you?"

Bronwyn summons and grips a javelin. I raise an eyebrow at her. "Just the one?"

"One is all I need to bring someone's armor from ten to zero." she says.

"Good. A quick and clean surprise attack then. You toss your javelin at Tixxie, I brain her, we double up on her buddy."

She doesn't answer, so I turn and look at her, raising an eyebrow at her doubtful expression. "Problem?"

"It's a good plan…" she starts weakly. "but I still don't like our chances."

"Uh huh. Now tell me what's your _real _problem." I respond with a glare.

"I'm hesitant, okay?" she snaps, glaring back. "I saw them hugging after the mutt carrying the Megaweapon was destroyed, and the human in me came out. I'm hesitant about-"

I don't let her finish. When I'm sure her anger's melted back into wariness, I pin her by the throat against a block tree. She drops the javelin in her hand and raises both to clutch my wrist. When the weapon hits the ground, it flashes and becomes a power-up, a small spinning javelin with an 'x1' beside it.

"Are you a Career or not?" I ask her critically, raising my mace with my free hand. "Because if you're not, I have no problem smashing your head it, too. If you are, you better remember where you are and kill that conscience real fast."

"Yes! Yes, I'm a Career!" she chokes out.

"You sure about that? Sure you don't want to take your time and think about it?" I threaten, lifting my mace higher.

"I'm sure, I'm sure!" she shouts.

I'm still for a moment as I look her right in the eyes. She's impossibly mature for only being fourteen, but she's still got to go cold if she's going to have a chance here.

"Good." I say, letting her go and clapping her once on the shoulder before walking once again toward where the yellow glow came from. I look back once to see her pick up her javelin again and follow behind me.

~Chiro's POV~

I don't keep running for long, but it's still too long. By the time I see a heat block, I can't feel a thing. It's almost like I'm floating, so it's a really weird feeling when I fall forward in front of the warm red cube. I can barely breathe, and even though I'm warming, I'm still cold. I can still hear the metal groaning of that monster worm mutt as it tried to eat me… Where'd it go?

I start to sit up and look around when I notice that I'm not alone. Sitting next to the heat block beside me is the boy from Nine. Salt. He looks at me a moment.

"Running from something?" he asks with the same carefulness I heard in his interview. He watches my lips.

"Yeah…" I respond, looking around. "Mutt."

"I heard it." he says, smiling at his own joke. It's a little funny, but I don't want to laugh. "But honestly, good job. It is odd for a kid to face a mutt, and even odder for a kid to escape one."

I nod, then remain silent for a long while. For the first time since landing in the arena, I can sit and think about where I am and what's happened. Nine tributes are dead. One of them is Ariana. Charitable, bubbly Ariana. The kindest and unluckiest girl in District Eleven. I can still hear her singing her upbeat and peppy lyrics in her melodious high voice. And my last living memory of her is her on the ground, screaming in fear for me to flee, half a moment before her face disappears in a burst of blood…

I lower my head and cry softly. Salt doesn't hear me, of course, but when he does finally look over at me, he frowns.

"Your District partner died, too." he says. I don't know how he catches on quickly, but I look at him, and he gives me a solemn smile. "I know how you feel. I thought about crying for Dawn. She was a good friend. A really good friend, even though she could not speak. I thought about just lying on the ground and crying until someone came and killed me, but that is not how she would want me to honor her memory. I let myself feel sad for a few minutes, frozen in grief, then I moved on and moved forward. I'm sure that's what Ariana would want you to do."

He pats me on the back and I wipe my eyes with a nod. I jump at the sound of a loud voice cutting the air, announcing:

"TIXXIE FINNEGAN: MEGAWEAPON."

Salt blinks at me. "Hear something?"

"Yeah." I say. "Tixxie Finnegan is that girl from Three that's super-tiny like she's twelve. She got some sort of Megaweapon."

Salt frowns and his eyebrows come together. "That does not sound good." he assesses, then stands. "Well, we should get moving and try to find your Anti-Pack friends. There should be a few alive. Unless you think you are better off on your own?"

He grins and holds out his hand, knowing as well as I do that it's not even a decision.

"You have to promise to join the Anti-Pack when we find them." I say with a smile.

"Heh!" he replies. "Only if you promise to not use contractions when you talk to me."

"Okay, I wo- Will not."

I smile back and take his hand. He pulls me to my feet, then kneels as he lifts me onto his shoulders, jogging away from the heat block.

"Now you are getting it!" he chuckles as he carries me into the darkness of the block forest.

**(A/N: Wow, I've been gone for over a month… :( Really sorry, guys. I've been having problems with my computer. May get a new one for my birthday, but that's not for five months. .**

**Another one bites the dust. Rest in peace, Ellie Jaxs! And then there were fifteen. The confrontation between the District Three duo and half of the living Careers is imminent. And with the mysterious Megaweapon in play, there's no telling how this will turn out! I'll tell you one thing, though: It'll be epic. :P**

**My unannounced hiatus has ended, hopefully. xD I'll put up the next chapter as soon as possible, but for now, a little innocent challenge. Virtual cookie for the first Hungry Gamer who can tell me the one tribute who we **_**haven't**_** heard from since we dropped into the arena. n_n Said tribute will have the first POV next chapter, so you'll know. ;p**

**Till next time**


	39. I'm A Megaweapon

**(A/N: Welcome back! This chapter is brought to you today by World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, also known as the Stealer of Souls!**

**Onward to the next chapter!)**

~Hunter's POV~

I've been crouched on top of this three-block tower since the rain sent the forest over to the other side of the arena, just watching the field. From my position, I'm pretty much a green beacon in the darkness, holding a glowing alabaster trident in one hand and a packet of warming crackers in the other. It's a small con, seeing as there's no other tribute near my location. That's a pro: in the darkness, I can see the nodes of other tributes. Two blue, close together. A white and a pink close together. A white alone. A pink alone. A dark green and a silver were close by some time ago, but the dark green stopped moving and the silver moved on. Must've been Ellie Jaxs. The silver disappeared into the block forest on the other side of the arena.

That makes seven on this side of the arena. One of them is me. Another is Kyrain. None of them are Bronwyn. I'm finishing my last cracker in the packet, and I'm about to climb down and start looking for a heat block when I notice for the first time that there are no more bright red glows. No more heat blocks. The Gamemakers aren't quite _that_ senselessly cruel this early in the Games, so the only reason why the heat blocks could be shutting down is that the rest of the arena is going to light up again soon. Morning's coming and I've gotten no sleep.

I ignore the fatigue weighing down my muscles as much as I can as I climb down from my perch and start to head toward the block forest. I can't sleep until I find Bronwyn, and I have to find Bronwyn before she finds a Career.

~Aylau's POV~

I'm shaken quickly awake by Franklin's eager prodding, and resist the urge to rub my stinging eyes. I didn't dream last night, and I usually do. I don't know if that's good or bad.

"Aylau!" Franklin calls out. "It's not cold anymore, and the blocks are coming back on!"

I sit up and look around, grinning as I perceive color returning to the previously unlit blocks.

"Now we can really start looking for Paisley and Chiro!" Franklin declares, pulling me to my feet. "Come on, let's go!"

"Franklin, there are killers everywhere…" I remind him in a whispering voice. "Keep your voice down…"

"Sorry…" he whispers back, looking around. "I forgot…"

We wait in silence, back to back so we have a full circular range of vision in case anyone walks by and sees us so we can start running. We stay like this until the blocks are almost fully lit, and then Franklin leads me across the thinly risen plain of blocks, his eyes darting around. Mine are looking, too, but with the blocks quickly brightening, and with all the different block color, it's a little harder to make out nodes and bodies.

After a few minutes of running, I start to pant, and Franklin hears me, so we slow down and eventually stop in front of a block hallway, a rare structure in such a plain-like landscape. We're really close to the giant block tower that marks the center of the field, and the twisted forest of blocks on the other side of it. It looks a lot less scary with the lights on, but it's still enough to make me shiver. As I'm turning my head to look back at Franklin, I see that he's made his way down the 'hall' and is crouching next to a corpse. It's not Paisley's. It's too small, and Paisley's name hasn't been announced, so I wonder whose it is. I walk up to Franklin as he turns the body over, and both of our faces go whiter as we look down at Ellie, the girl from Seven who got a two in training. There's a wound in her chest that exits in a perfect circle out of her back. She was shot.

"I saw that boy from Three with a gun in the bloodbath." Franklin tells me. "Think he did it?"

I shrug, and then I reach my arm down to Ellie's face and do something that I've only seen in movies: I close her eyelids. I don't know why that sends a dire chill up my spine, but it does. "R-Rest in peace, Ellie…"

Franklin is still looking down at her bloody body, still as a stone. I frown, then look down at my feet as I ask the selfish question that's been on my mind for a while now: "…Franklin, do you really think I have a chance?"

Franklin's eyes immediately look to my own with a serious and sure expression. "Yes, I do. Everyone has a chance. Just because you have a bad hand and are twelve years old doesn't mean you can't win the Hunger Games. There aren't _many_ twelve-year-old Victors, but there _are_ twelve-year-old Victors, namely my mentor. She didn't like her chances, but she believed in herself, and she's alive today."

The way he says his last line… I don't know how it makes me feel… suspicious? Worried? But something about the way he says it changes the way I look at him for half a moment. I manage a smile anyway. "But what about you? Don't you want to win?"

Franklin smiles at me, and it makes me sad for some reason. "I know what I'm doing." he assures me.

He pats me on the shoulder, and that's when I realize it. That's when his intentions become clear to me. And that's the moment I don't see Franklin Brookins the same anymore. I try not to gasp and even try to push the dark thoughts of him away, because I refuse to think Franklin would do what I think he plans on doing. I can't… To avoid looking at Franklin, I look down at Ellie's body and… discover that it's gone.

The sight chills me so thoroughly that I yell and back away. Franklin looks down and his eyebrows rise. Ellie's body, which had been there only moments ago, disappeared without a trace while we weren't looking. Where did it go? Franklin and I just stare silently at the empty space for a long moment, making it another heart-pounding surprise to both of us when we hear two consecutive death cannons.

~Tixxie's POV~

For the past minute or so, all I could do was stare in amazement at what was probably the coolest thing I've ever seen in my entire life…

My right hand and about half of my forearm have been replaced by the sleek silver barrel of a hand cannon. Three glowing silver rings are wrapped around the barrel down from where my wrist would start. It doesn't seem to weigh any more than my arm, so I can aim as easily as I can point at something. The barrel is so sleek and smooth that I can see my reflection in it, and I gasp at myself.

My face is cut under my left eye, and I'm just now realizing it hurts. But I forget again when I see what's happened to my eyes themselves. My scleras have turned glowing silver and my irises are green… I point my arm in front of me as if I'm aiming at something, and my eyes vibrate. A crosshair appears in my vision and moves around according to what I'm aiming at.

"Trex…" I whisper, looking at him. He looks as amazed as I do. "I'm a Megaweapon…"

He gets back up to his feet and walks toward me. Trex reaches out and gently runs his hands over the cannon's metallic surface, as if it'd break off if he handled it too roughly. I want to bonk him on the head and tell him that it's not made of glass, but something about the way he touches me… it… the weapon, yeah the weapon… But… I _am_ the weapon. Just thinking about it now makes me confused, and I don't get confused. The fact that Trex is making me confused now makes me blush, _and I DON'T blush_. What's happening to me..?

One of Trexler's hands rests right where the barrel ends and my arm begins. The other runs along the head of the barrel, which flares out and curves back in, a slight bulb shape.

"It's beautiful…" he says, fascinated. He seems more interested in the cannon than in me, and that makes me embarrassed that I'm blushing over his touch, which makes me blush more! I'm jealous of myself, of the thing on my arm, so I try to dismiss it by thinking about it leaving and me turning back to normal. It works. The barrel glows with him still holding it. My eyes glow, also, and after a moment, my arm returns and my eyes are my own again. Trexler is now gently gripping my forearm near the elbow with one hand and grasping my wrist with the other. His touch is still gentle, and I don't want him to let go.

"Tix…" he starts. Something behind me catches his attention, and before I can look, he reacts. "Tix!"

Trex pushes me to the ground, and the javelin that was meant for my back slams into Trexler's chest, causing him to stagger back and drop his gun. It turns back into a power-up as it hits the ground. I try to scramble to my feet, but something heavy delivers a powerful strike to my temple and lays me on my face again. I hear my armor tick down to four. I heard Trex's tick on the way down, but I don't know for sure how much he has left, if any.

I roll to my back, narrowly avoiding another crushing blow, and look up at Agate from One's evil grin. He lifts his mace again, but right at that moment, Trex lunges and tackles Agate to the ground by the waist. In the split second I see him for, I note chillingly that the javelin brought Trex from ten to zero.

I struggle to my feet, and as soon as I'm up, I notice two things: Agate is quickly overpowering Trex, and Bronwyn, the girl from Four who threw the javelin, is sprinting to pick up Trex's fallen gun. I will for my Megaweapon to come forth, and my arm cannon and aiming eyes return. I aim at Agate, who looks surprised, then I realize I don't know how to fire this thing. I think about firing, but that doesn't work, and in that moment's pause, Agate realizes too, and his evil grin returns. He hauls Trexler to his feet and holds him in a dire headlock. Nearby, Bronwyn picks up Trex's gun.

Trexler told me that I was a strategist, but he was wrong. If I was a strategist, right now, I would know what to do, how to fire, and who to fire at first. But I'm helpless. I shut down… I don't even try to work my cannon anymore. I just watch helplessly.

"Shoot her, Bronwyn!" he yells, and then he does it. A quick motion of the arms, and Trexler's neck is destroyed. Agate drops him, and as soon as he's on the ground, Bronwyn fires. Two quick shots in the chest bring Agate's armor to zero. He looks up at Bronwyn in shock and opens his mouth to yell something, but he never gets the chance to. I make a motion as if I'm clenching my right fist, even though I don't have a right fist to clench. One of the silver rings around the barrel hums and vibrates, quickly travelling up the length of the cannon and escaping as a quick silver ball of energy that flies toward Agate, ripping a giant hole through his body, in his chest, out his back.

The sound of one death cannon is quickly followed by the sound of another. I turn to look at Bronwyn, but she's already escaped into the block forest, which I'm just now noticing is fully lit again. I'm just now noticing a lot of things: there are tears in my eyes, I've dismissed my cannon, I've fallen to my knees… I crawl toward Trexler's body. I reach out to touch him, but… I can't. I bury my face in my hands.

"Trexler…" I sob softly, letting the first tears fall. Then I throw my head back and scream at the heavens: TREXLEEEEEER!" My body shakes with grief as I grit my teeth and fall on my face.

"AGATE VON GRIEVOUS: GAME OVER." the announcing voice declares. I keep crying, waiting for Trexler's death announcement.

"TREXLER DAPPLEWOOD: XTRA LIFE."

My eyes open and I freeze solid, unsure if I heard that correctly. Extra life?

I rise to my knees and look at Trex's body. Suddenly, a shower of golden pixels rains from the sky over Trexler and swirl around his body. The pixels begin to stick to his body and glow. Eventually, there's a great white glow where Trexler once was. Suddenly, there's a bright flash, then it's gone. Trexler twitches, then groans as he rises from his stomach to a sitting position, rubbing his neck.

~Trexler's POV~

"Damn…" I hiss, kneading out a sore spot on my neck. It's the first swear word I've said since… I'm pretty sure it's the first swear word I've ever said aloud. Swearing is Tixxie's thing.

"Did he put me to sleep or did I pass out?" I ask. Seconds later, I catch up with myself and look around to see what I missed. Tixxie's on her knees beside me with a weird look on her face. The girl from Four is nowhere to be seen, and the boy from One is motionless nearby with a giant smoldering donut hole in his chest.

"Whoa! What the hell did I miss?" I ask, my eyes wide.

Suddenly, something slams into me and lays me on my back again. I look up at Tixxie's teary face as she sits on my stomach and leans down, holding my face in her hands and mashing her lips almost angrily against mine. I struggle and yell at first, since I'm almost certain she's trying to eat my face off. Eventually, she pulls away and pants. My first kiss and it was the most aggressive thing Tixxie's ever done to me in a while… I liked it, but… why?

"T-Tix, what was that?" I demand, panting with her.

"I thought I lost you…" she sobs. "He broke your neck and you died, Trex. You had some sort of extra life and… Trex, I _did_ lose you… But you came back, and I'm happy because… I just realized before that whole thing happened… while you were touching my arm cannon… that I've had these feelings for you bottled… bottled up inside since we were… in District Three, when you saved my life… and later when you yelled at me on the train… I didn't want to lose you again or have you lose me before I… got this out of my system…"

Panting pauses aside, that's the longest sentence Tix has ever said to me. It's a lot to take in… I died..? Extra life..? Suddenly it comes back to me. I remember the sound of being medically decapitated when my neck was broken so badly. I lost all feeling immediately. No sight, no sound. Then I fell asleep and… left. I also remember that time I crushed the golden 'XL' power-up earlier on… Was that what XL meant? Xtra Life? Before I can think about any more of what she said, she leans and kisses me again. Her lips against mine are still more assertive and dominant than the lips of anyone her size should be. But I don't struggle this time. When I let her kiss me, it feels more like a kiss. More like Tixxie… I've been fighting off feelings for Tixxie because I was sure she'd kill me, but now that _this_ happened…

I close my eyes and… kinda kiss back a little, in constant fear of her pulling away and hitting me if I do something wrong. The longer we kiss, the more I get the hang of it. After a minute, I wrap my arms around her and hug her close, still trying to keep up with her lips. Almost on their own, my hands slowly unwrap from her waist and slide down to cup her hips. Even though I can only feel the 'fabric' of her suit against mine, the fabric is so thin and tight on her and me that I might as well be touching her skin. I open one eye, expecting to see her glaring at me for getting handsy, but her eyes are still closed, her eyebrows are furled up, and her cheeks are red… Not to mention she's still nomming aggressively on my lips. She likes it… This is a side of Tixxie that I've never seen before, and I like it.

One hand runs up her back, mapping every ridge of her spine, before tangling up in her shoulder-length dirty blonde hair. She sighs and makes a little noise against my mouth. I don't know if that's good or not, but she hasn't bitten or hit me yet, so it can't be bad, We're just… like this for a while. I lost track of time after my hands met her hips, so I don't know how long we've been kissing. I feel it's been a little too long when she tries to put her tongue in my mouth. I flail and tap the ground, and she understands, pulling up.

"Sorry…" she pants, her face tomato-red. "We've been here two long; we should-"

Tixxie stops and looks nearby, perplexed. She lifts herself from my stomach and helps me up to my feet, then points me in the direction she's looking. I turn and furl my eyebrows, not seeing anything. Then it hits me. Agate's body is gone. No one moved it. No one was here. His corpse just… vanished.

"…We should go." Tix finishes. She takes my hand and pulls me to the edge of the clearing. I look back once and get the feeling that wherever Agate's body went, it didn't go anywhere good…

"Tix?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's my gun..?"

~Ruby's POV~

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGH!"

I flinch a little and pull my hand away from my mouth as I hear Thyst's trademark wail of grief that he performs when both District One tributes have died. I turn my head just in time to see him lunge and tackle-hug me. I'm wearing heels, so it's a miracle I don't break my ankles and topple to the ground right there. I manage to keep my footing and hug Thyst, patting his violet-streaked hair as he cries like a child into my chest.

"There, there, Thyst…" I coo, looking around at the odd stares some of the other mentors are giving up, particularly Ticker and Fletcher from Thirteen and Eleven. The others are still looking intently at the large TV stationed in front of the window, watching as the scene cuts to a brief commentary piece with Sparrow and Copper Keel. "We'll get'em next year."

"S-She was so stupid and b-beautifu-u-u-u-uuuuuul!" he chokes, and I continue to soothe him. Out of the corner of my eye, I see four people passing by the mentor's lounge. One of them is Pyra. That means the other three must be… No.

"Excuuuuuse me for a moment, ladies and gents." I announce cheerfully, prying Thyst off of me as I trot out of the lounge. I maintain the mask as I waltz in front of their path and halt. All four of them stop and look at me. "Pyraaaa~ Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Pyra stares at me for a moment, then looks at her three siblings. "Go on ahead. I'll catch up."

Terra, Nimbus, and Aquos stare at me a moment longer before nodding and continuing on their way. I wait until I'm sure they're out of earshot, then my smile melts into a frown, and my wide eyes squint into a glower. Much more comfortable. "_What_ are _they_ doing _here_?" I demand.

"That's none of your business, Red." she replies coldly.

"_Everything_ is my business, Pyra." I remind her. She scowls.

"Look, I know what I'm doing, okay? You stick to your guns and I'll stick to mine." she growls before shouldering past me to rejoin her siblings.

I expected a response like that… Pyra's a hothead, after all. But she brought _them_. After the stunt the three of them pulled at the interviews, I'm surprised they're still _alive_, let alone within the Capitol. And when I get surprised, I get suspicious… I sigh and turn back to re-enter the mentor's lounge to keep watching the Games. Even though she's difficult to work with, I trust Pyra. She knows what she's doing, I hope…

~Bronwyn's POV~

I don't have the slightest idea how Trexler got an extra life, but I'm so happy he had it when he did that I start crying. It felt good to shoot out Agate's armor. I would've killed him with a headshot, but I guess Tixxie learned how to use her Megaweapon just in time for her to get revenge. Now that I know Trexler is alive with Tixxie again, everybody's happy.

As I wipe my eyes, I realize that I'm way too sentimental to be a Career. Or, for that matter, the Hunger Games. But that doesn't mean I can't win. I have a good weapon - an energy pistol with a lot of shots left, and ten total tributes dead. Ranged weapons are a huge advantage in the Games. Tixxie has a better one than me, but I have to hope that a mutt or a block rain kills her. I couldn't do it myself.

I shake the difficult thoughts out of my head and look up through the block forest canopy, perceiving the tip of the giant centerfield block tower, and I start heading toward it. I have to get out of the forest and find Hunter…

**(A/N: And there you have it! Ten down, unfortunately, and thirteen left to go before we find our Victor!**

**The bloodbath stage was known as Level 1, and if you'd like to reread that chapter, I suggest you do it while listening to The Requiem by Linkin Park. It really captures the mood of the scene!**

**This Tetris-inspired stage is Level 2. Its theme song is Tetris by 2pm. Fun song, and it also fits the stage.**

**The next chapter will be the last chapter we see of Level 2. After that, we're going to be moving on to LEVEL 3! Level 3 will be a **_**lot**_** scarier and tougher mentally, physically, and emotionally on our tributes, and the mutts of Level 3 will blow. Your. MIND. Level 3's theme song is the Nostalgia dubstep remix of Muse's song Knights of Cydonia.**

**Level 4 will be the tipping point of the Games! It **_**might**_** just be the most exciting and emotionally investing part of the Games. When tributes die in Level 4, you're going to feel it. Level 4's theme song is Guardian Angel by Tyler James Williams and Coco Jones.**

**Level 5 is the pinnacle of the story, where everything comes together, and our Victor is 'crowned'. Take from that what you will. ;3 Level 5's theme song is Solaris Phase 2 by SEGA and SonicTeam, the final boss theme song for Sonic the Hedgehog '06. It's gonna be HUGE.**

**Well, that's all I have to say. :D I feel this story could be one of the best on the site if I got some more reviews and opinions on what people like, don't like, or would like more of! If I get seven or more signed reviews for this chapter, at the end of the next chapter, you'll get a special POV of Annie Cresta! I won't tell you what the POV's going to be about. ;3 If you want to find out, REVIEW!**

**Thanks again, Hungry Gamers! May all your Hearts beat with Calamity! Hm… Meh, I'll keep working on the catchphrase. Seeya!)**


	40. Attention

**(A/N: Welcome, Hungry Gamers, to the last chapter of Level 2. A lot is going to go on in this chapter, so watch carefully! This was one of the hardest chapters, emotionally, that I've had to right, since I touch on some more sensitive subjects, especially early on. I'm taking a risk with my writing here, and I hope it's not tasteless. n_n; Forgive me if it is! Newt is **_**supposed**_** to have an ugly personality.**

**Particular language warning for this chapter! xD Length warning, as well. This is my LONGEST CHAPTER YET. So long that I'm still thinking about whether or not I'm splitting the chapter into two separate ones. xD We'll see!**

**Onward!)**

~Scott's POV~

I only look down from the TV for a moment and look at Ruby as her clopping heels reenter the lounge. She frowns at Thyst, who is sitting underneath the mounted television with a shivering and very uncomfortable Corla, sniffling and hugging the thin and disheveled woman. When Thyst sees Ruby is back, he wails again, causing Corla to yell out and cover her ears in frustration.

"Hey, shut up!" Vobien yells, silencing the room. "I'm trying to watch the Games."

"Why?" Newt shoots back. "Just people talking. Nothing interesting going on."

"I… happen to find the commentary stimulating." Manx from Three inputs, adjusting his glasses. It's the first thing I've heard him say since he arrived.

"Exactly." Fletcher seconds, sneering at Newt. "Not everyone here is turned on by the sight of children killing children."

"Uh oh…" I hear Tawny mumble beside me. My thoughts exactly… Not many of the mentors like Newt. She won her Games in the least desirable way: in an alliance that made its way to the final two, like Katniss and Peeta from the 74th Annual Hunger Games. Unlike Katniss, though, Newt had no problem killing her partner, and did so coldly and ruthlessly, as if they were never friends. As such, she was a generally unpopular Victor among the Districts, but was praised as a living plot twist in the Capitol. Newt has also been known as a powerful advocate for the Games, something the other mentors don't appreciate.

Newt cracks her neck and stands up. "You're right. Some of us are turned on by the sight of grown men talking about children killing children."

"Shit, here we go…" Tawny sighs. Now Fletcher is standing. Manx sinks down in his seat. Corla and Thyst are frozen in a hug under the TV. Ruby is standing helplessly in the middle of it all.

"You better watch what you say to me." Fletcher warns as he starts toward Newt.

"Whoa, now…" Ruby says softly, standing between them. "Is this really the place, Fletcher? Your Games are won already. You've earned the right not to hurt anyone else."

Fletcher looks like he's about to calm down, then I see Newt's lips curl in a smile.

"I strike a nerve, big man? Big _gay_ man and little _gay_ boy?"

Newt glances at Manx, who looks away and sinks further down in his seat. Corla speaks up.

"Leave Manx alone. So what if he's a homosexual? It doesn't define him. He's a human, like me."

Manx smiles at Corla, who smiles back. Thyst even gives her a little pat on the head.

"Or maybe…" Newt continues to Fletcher with the same twisted grin, ignoring Corla. "You're just sore that your little crybaby songbird got brained?"

That was too far… Ariana was the nicest girl in Panem, and I had to turn away when she was killed. I may not have known her personally, but hearing someone talk about her like that makes me angry.

Fletcher reacts instantly. No sooner than the words leave Newt's lips, Fletcher pushes Ruby aside, who yelps as she falls to the floor, and knuckles Newt as hard as he can in the face, sending her staggering backwards.

"Ruby!" Thyst wails, pulling Corla with him as he stands and runs over to help his friend. The D3 mentor tries to pull away, but is forced to follow helplessly.

"Hey, whoa!" Olive shouts, rising from her seat and moving to hold back Fletcher as he starts toward Newt with another fist raised. It's quickly apparent that Olive alone would not be effective. Fletcher effortlessly shoulders past her and wraps his fingers around Newt's throat, slamming her against the wall behind her.

"Fletcher, calm down!" Vobien barks. I stand, too, and both of us try to pry him away from Newt. After a few seconds, Tawny, Thetis, Nere, and Olive join in as well. It takes six people to finally pull Fletcher away.

"Don't talk about Ariana like you knew who she was!" Fletcher roars at Newt as blood trickles from her mouth and nose and she wheezes for breath. "She didn't deserve to die! None of them do!"

Newt wheezes as she laughs, sounding much like a doddering old person. "Looks like someone forgot to read the mentor handbook."

Newt smiles, her teeth red with blood. One of her front teeth now looks dangerously crooked. She looks at Fletcher, then right at me as she says: "Rule number one: Don't get attached to your tributes."

"Fuck you and fuck your fake handbook." Ruby says as Thyst and Corla help her to her feet. "I'll get as attached to my tributes as I fucking feel like. All mentors should get attached to their tribute, to remind themselves that they're still capable of emotion, and to make their tribute's time left as enjoyable as possible. Just because you lost your soul to the Capitol doesn't mean we have to."

Newt laughs again as she walks out. "Emotion, souls, attachment… All of it is pointless." she says simply as she walks out of the lounge. Taking that as his cue to leave as well, Ticker excuses himself from the lounge as well, following Newt. District Thirteen mentors…

"We all miss her, too." Ruby says to Fletcher. "If you wouldn't have hit her, I'd have done it for you, and more. There's no excuse for what she said. But don't fret for too long over Ariana. She got justice."

The room is silent, save for the shuffling of feet outside the lounge. None of us were really expecting Ruby to speak on Ariana's behalf

"Oh, and Manx." she says, looking at the young man slumped in his chair who looks up through his glasses at Ruby. "Like your friend said, don't sweat it. There's nothing wrong with you."

Manx nods and smiles. "I'm not homosexual; I'm bisexual." he corrects Corla. "Still applies, though. Thanks, Corla."

The two spectacled mentors smile warmly at each other. At the entrance to the mentor's lounge, Pyra walks in, casually holding Alto under her arm in a headlock that he is struggling to free himself from.

"Why's Newt bleeding?" she asks. No one answers.

A yell draws our attention to the screen, and my blood freezes solid. The Games are back on, and the current live highlight is of Kyrain lifting Paisley, who had been sleeping against a block wall on the side of the arena without the forest, to her feet. She yells and struggles. Tawny gasps, and all eyes turn to me, some of them condoling me for the loss I haven't had yet…

My eyes stay fixed on the screen, and as the scene continues. Paisley can't die... I slump down in my chair and hold my head in my hands as I realize that against Kyrain, what else can she do?

~Paisley's POV~

This is not how I expected I'd encounter him. I'm quickly jarred out of sleep by the feeling of being yanked to my feet. I yell out with surprise, and the first thing I see is him, his wild grin, and his depleted armor generator.

"Well, what do we have here?" Kyrain chuckles. "Hot girl sleeping out in the open without a weapon in sight to be spoken of? I'm _finally_ in the candy store."

He tosses me off to the side and I grunt as I hit the ground. Quickly, I scramble up to my feet and summon the glowing pink-bladed sword I was sent before I went to sleep. It's long, two-handed, and the perfect weight. Kyrain's eyebrows rise, but he chuckles, and the metal on his crackling gauntlets groan as he cracks his knuckles.

"Wow, Candy, I'm impressed. Guess your little sob story worked well enough to net you a big sword."

Then he does something strange: he dismisses his gauntlets and extends his arms in a vulnerable position.

"What are you waiting for, baby?" he taunts, still grinning and beckoning me toward him. "Bring that pretty little ass over here and hit me with it!"

My face is hot with embarrassment and rage as I yell as loud as I can and run toward him with my weapon raised. I bring my sword down and he steps out of the way a moment before he'd have been cleaved in half. My blade strikes the ground and the impact shock rips the strength out of my upper body. I gasp and fight to lift my sword again. I got too angry… Kyrain strolls past me and runs his hand through my hair.

"Mmph, it's hot watching you swing that blade around." he says lowly to me as he passes. "Do it again, Candy."

"Shut _up_!" I yell as I bring the word around in a horizontal cleave. He bends his knees and ducks under it. I fight my momentum and stop my swing before I can turn in a full circle, then shout again as I try a diagonal swing that he can't duck or sidestep. I think I have him, but growl as he quickly backsteps. I do notice that I nicked his generator, though.

"Almost had me!" he laughs. "Come on, Candy! Kill me already! You know you want to!"

"That's not my _name_!" I shout again, running and thrusting the glowing sword at him in a lunge. For being so broad, he's pretty quick… He sidesteps again and shifts to behind me. I turn quickly to swing again, but his hand strikes at my right wrist, striking a ligament. I gasp at the weird feeling and reflexively release my sword to shake my wrist. The sword goes clattering to the ground and becomes a power-up again: a spinning pink present with 'Eight' on the tag.

"But you're sweet like candy, Candy." Kyrain laughs, beckoning to me again and stepping between me and my weapon. "Enough swordplay. Show me them claws."

I don't want to fight him without a weapon… But I don't want to leave my weapon here with him either. I just stand there and purse my lips.

"Oh, I see." Kyrain says with a squint. "You're committed to that punk mentor of yours. You're scared to see what a real man fights like."

My fists clench and I squint in anger. He can't talk about Scott that way. "Shut up about my boyfriend. He's more of a man than you'll ever be. You're a _monster_!"

"You know I almost killed your brother at the bloodbath?" he asks me, looking at his hand as he slowly clenches his fist until it forms a 'c' shape that's almost the diameter of Franklin's neck. "Had his throat in one hand… Would've crushed him like I crushed Aylau's hand if his armor didn't stop me. Too bad…"

I don't care about being safe anymore. I run forward with another angry yell and swing one fist at Kyrain. He doesn't move, and my fist connects with his jaw. His head snaps to the side, but he doesn't look hurt. He turned his head himself. I'm so angry that I don't even care. I keep punching as hard as I can with one fist and then the other.

"Don't! Ever! Talk! About! My! _Family!_" I shout at him with all of my might. His head turns each time I punch him until the last. I hit him, and his jaw is rigid. He grabs my wrist before I can pull it away.

"One good thing my dad taught me before he got himself killed was how to handle a woman." he says before he gives me a jarring backhand and pushes me away. My vision wobbles and I'm dazed, even though my armor keeps it from hurting too much.

"Ya gotta be firm wit' a bitch, boy." Kyrain says in an accent I suspect is meant to imitate his father speaking to him. "Else, you'll be a bitch yaself. Bitches preach that women was created to be man's equal, but want men to do all the work, pay all the bills, and be there all the time. Don't take that!"

I rub my cheek and run at him again. He dodges my swing, but my momentum carries me forward and he swat me on the butt as I pass. I yelp and jump, and in my lapse, he grabs my shoulders and throws me against a block wall beside us. My armor ticks down to four. It was at six before.

I start to slide down the wall, but Kyrain pins my shoulders to the wall and holds me there. I scream and squirm, but his grip is iron, and he's still speaking in his father's accent.

"Good girls know what's up, boy. They know who in charge and they's ain't givin' no lip. They do what they told when they told. They give ya what ya's entitled to as a man. Best girls bend over wit'out bein' asked. But ya gotta be firm wit' a equalist bitch. They wanna be equal, make'm equal! Let'm pay halfa everythin' and don't let'm complain. They yell, you yell. They hitcha, you hit'm back, just as hard. _Take_ what's yers. That's how you were born, 'n that's how I was born."

As he talks he takes one hand off my shoulder and presses me harder against the wall with his other. His free hand begins to unforgivingly roam my squirming body, touching me places only Scott's allowed to touch me. I hope he isn't watching this… I also know that's exactly what this monster _is_ hoping for… "Stop it! Get your hands off of me! _Aah, stop!_" I screech, but the molestation continues, and his grin doesn't waver.

"You don't look half-bad, Candy. Tits could be bigger. That Marie chick had it going on. You'll do, tough. That thing on your chest generates your suit, I learned. Let's just see what I'm working with here…"

Kyrain summons a gauntlet in his free hand and grips my generator tightly. He begins to squeeze and pull, and the machine crackles and sparks violently. I scream, and the generator ticks down to one before something metal comes flying in from my left and hits Kyrain on the side of the head. He's so focused that the sudden strike surprises him and he flinches, releasing my generator and my shoulder. I try to push him away, but he doesn't budge. He's not focused on me anymore anyway. He bares his teeth and looks over at where the metal object came from.

"_Leave my sister alone!"_

I gasp and look over to my left. _It's Franklin and Aylau!_ Franklin has picked up my sword and is wielding it as best as he can, even though it was made for me and not him. It's too long and heavy for him, but pure hatred is reflected in his eyes as he stares right at Kyrain. Beside him is Aylau, looking scared but determined. My eyes widen as I see the prosthetic is missing from her hand. I look down at the ground and see that the prosthetic is the metal object that was thrown at Kyrain.

"Franklin! Aylau!" I shout. "Go! Run! I'll be fine, I promise! He'll kill you two if you don't run!"

"Listen to her, kids." Kyrain warns, smashing the prosthetic underfoot into irreparable bits and gears. Aylau gasps and bites her lip. "This is grown-up business. I'll treat your sister _real_ nice if she behaves herself. You won't get lucky twice. If you don't leave now, I promise you that head's coming right off."

"Maybe you didn't hear me!" Franklin yells. Energy begins to flow in the form of faint bursts of lightning cracks from Franklin's nodes to the sword. The blade shrinks by half, then suddenly expands and fattens until it is the glowing cylindrical head of a mace. I'm speechless already, but my eyes go wide as I watch dire spikes begin to protrude from the mace head, turning it into a deadly Morningstar.

"I said, _leave my sister ALONE!_"

My heart stops in my chest. This is unreal… I was so sure that somehow this would be the other way around, but no… _Franklin_ is saving _my_ life. I owe him so much that I can never repay him for… Tears fall from my eyes, and I open my mouth to speak, but Kyrain roughly pushes my head into the wall behind me, and I crumple to the ground as the last of my armor ticks down. The blow dazes me, but I'm still conscious, barely.

"Stay down. I'll deal with you later." Kyrain says down to me before summoning his other gauntlet and clenching his fists. I can't stay awake any longer, and I fall asleep…

~Copper's POV~

I'm here in front of a screen, watching it all as it happens, and I still can't believe what I'm seeing…

"Close your mouth, Copper; we're live in two." Martine whispers to me with a smile. I do so just before the red recording light on the camera nearby comes on.

"Wow, what a timely arrival!" I say, pretending to wipe my forehead, though my thumb slyly wipes across my eye to clear tears. Head Gamemaker Martine Sparrow nudges me with her elbow and chuckles. "I was afraid we'd have to cut to another part of the Games for a second. I doubt many would want to see that, especially not to Paisley Brookins, who's _in_ an active relationship."

"You're the Head Gamemaker, Sparrow." I say to Martine, turning to her. "Explain to us what it is that just happened to the pink weapon. It _was_ a sword."

"That weapon was a special sponsor request for a weapon for the Siblings that was nearly, if not on par with a Megaweapon. We were reluctant, but the anonymous sponsor donated such a staggering amount of money in District Eight's name that we couldn't very well refuse. It was obviously a public effort. To deny would risk an uprising, and that'd be a shame."

"Fascinating." I say with a smirk. "But you've yet to tell me what it is."

"Oh!" Martine laughs. "Of course, of course. The weapon's constitution changes according to the constitution and desires of its wielder, and it can only be safely wielded by the District Eight tributes. Paisley's large sword was perfect for her, and when Franklin picked it up, it examined him and changed to fit him. Franklin Brookins must be pretty mad to want a Morningstar of all things…"

I nod and turn to look back at the screen. "Well, all eyes are wide awake and on the screen now, I bet. The one most hated tribute against two of the most loved, and an unconscious maiden as the prize for the winner of this deadly bout… Anyone not on the edge of their seat for the most exciting Quell to date is either disabled or dead."

~Jinstance's POV~

I was sure the lights would stay off and the arena would stay cold until the end of the Games… I'm glad I was wrong, but I'm anxious as well. The arena's gonna black out some other way with all of us inside, probably _worse_ than just the blocks being unlit… Maybe the arena will malfunction and shut down, wiping us from existence in the blink of an eye… Or maybe we won't be wiped. Maybe we'll just be stranded in darkness for all eternity…

"Hey, Jin." Ebony interrupts my thoughts, tapping me on the head. "Tribute."

She points into the distance and I see the faint outline of a moving body, the soft glow of nodes surrounding them. It looks a bit strange… and orange-ish. Ariana's dead, and it's too big to be Chiro.

"Uhh…" I start before Ebony starts pulling me along.

"Come on. Now's as good a time as any to go hunting. The more we kill, the closer we get to Victory."

"One of us, you mean." I remind her.

"…Yeah." she murmurs, walking faster. We walk until we can clearly see and follow out target, and then I realize that it's two tributes: the boy from Nine with the boy from Eleven on his back. I remember that Chiro is twelve, with a hard life on his shoulders, and I start to pull against Ebony.

"What's up?" she asks.

"He's twelve. I can't do it." I say simply. "I'm not ready to kill someone yet."

"If not now, you'll never be able to, and you've got to be able to kill at _least_ one person to win the Hunger Games. Ticker didn't desensitize you?"

"He tried." I admit. I've never believed in hypnosis. Ticker plugged some Capitol-approved serum into me which made me a little woozy, then he tried to feed me psychological lines that were supposed to change my way of thinking to a more Games-centered worldview. I repeated the lines back, and that apparently made him think I believed what I was saying. "I guess long-term suggestion doesn't work on me."

"Or maybe your mind is just geared funny." Ebony says, ruffling my hair. Newt's desensitization must have worked. "Don't sweat it. Just watch me and learn. Help out if you feel like it."

Her hatchet materializes in her hand and she goes forward without me. My blood chills as I realize that she's confident she can kill a deaf kid and a twelve-year-old on her own. Ellie and Thorne gave her trouble, but these two are nothing to her…

I doubt I'm looking at the Ebony I thought I knew as I watch her creep through the forest, behind the general location of Salt and Chiro, who have stopped at the centerfield block tower and are none the wiser to the imminent threat.

"Attention." echoes a voice high above. Then I realize that every announcement made in the arena thus far has come from the tower. I also realize that the voice is not the same as the death announcement voice. It's Dolla Centari's voice.

I look up and gasp in surprise. The once pitch black sky now glows a dim red, and the block structures flying and turning above have become glowing red, like the nighttime heat blocks. I swallow hard. Whatever's going on is the doing of her and the Gamemakers. Which means it _can't_ be good…

~Tixxie's POV~

Trexler pulls me into a hug underneath a block tree as I dismiss my Megaweapon. Each of the three silver ammo rings slowly fade back into brightness. Since we left the clearing where I killed Agate and Bronwyn escaped, Trex and I found another clearing, where he's making me practice with my arm cannon. I've learned a lot about it. It doesn't use ammo. It recharges. Three shots before it has to cool down. I suspect the shots do five points of armor worth of damage per shot, allowing me to deplete an enemy's full armor with two shots and use the third as a kill shot.

Now we're taking a break, sitting under a block tree and hugging, in each other's company while watching each other's backs.

"Trex, if we die…" I start, blinking. "I just want you to know that I'm… s-s…"

I frown, unable to get the word out… I've never said sorry to anyone before. I'm an unapologetic bitch. That's who I am. But it can't be who I am to Trexler. Not with what little time we've got left.

"SSSSSSSSSSSSSSORRY." I strain to get out. By the time I finally say it, I feel like my throat's exploding. "S-Sorry." I manage to say, calmer.

"Sorry. Sorry for all the times I hurt you when you didn't deserve it. Sorry for all the times I gloated and rubbed a win in your face. Sorry for-"

"Tix, you don't have to apologize. You don't have to change for me. I don't like for my friends to change anyway. Remember when Trine cut her hair and I ranted about how her hair was better longer until it grew back?"

"Yeah. We both beat you up the first day you said something. After the fourth day, we gave up and ignored you until you shut up." I snicker.

"Point is…" he snorts, ruffling my hair. "I like who you are. You're mean and unforgiving, a hot-tempered blonde-haired maniac with a Napoleon complex and a knowledge of the human body so thorough, you could knock me out with one finger. That's the Tixxie I like and that's the Tixxie I want."

He hugs me again and kisses me on the forehead. I smile and try not to blush.

"When should we start moving again?" he asks.

"Not any time s-" I start to respond. An evil voice interrupts me.

"Attention."

All of a sudden, everything changes. The sky tints red and the ever-flying block structures above turn bright glowing red.

"Trexler..?" I start, furling my eyebrows.

"I… don't know…" he responds quietly, hugging me closer as we wait for Dolla Centari to continue speaking.

~Aylau's POV~

P-Paisley… I gasp as she is pushed harshly against the wall and falls to the ground. My lips purse as I stand a little behind Franklin, who looks madder than ever.

"F-Franklin…" I whimper. "What do I do? He broke my M.E.E.P, and my hand isn't strong yet. It could break again…"

"Stay behind me." Franklin tells me. "And try to get Paisley away while I take him on."

"You're twelve, Franklin… P-Paisley is a year older than him and he made her scream…"

"Aylau, stop." he says firmly. "I don't care how old he is, or how much stronger he is than me. He hurt my sister. And he would've hurt her worse if you didn't throw your cast. Thank you, Aylau."

I warm when I hear him say that. "N-No problem."

"Twelve-year-olds can do amazing things." he says. "That's what Tawny said to me, and you've proven her right by saving my sister. Now it's my turn. I'll _kill_ him…"

"If you're going to charge, do it." Kyrain taunts, banging his gauntlets together and making a harsh noise. "Otherwise leave, so I can go back to having my fun with your sister."

"Let's go." Franklin growls. He runs forward, dragging the head of his awesome spike-mace against the ground. The spikes kick up sparks that I try to avoid as I follow closely behind him. Franklin screams and swings the mace quickly. It's the perfect size and weight, so he swings it like a master, even though he's never held a spike-mace before in his life, I'm guessing. I wonder if he practiced during training… Kyrain dodges the swing barely and throws a punch at Franklin's face. I gasp, thinking he's about to get hit hard and fall asleep like Paisley, but he quickly whirls the mace back in the other direction and deflects Kyrain's fist, throwing a burst of sparks in all directions.

"Gah!" Kyrain growls, stepping back. A few drops of blood drip from the deflected gauntlet. The metal glove protected him, mostly. If that had been his fist alone, his hand would be as mangled as mine was.

While Kyrain stares obsidian daggers at Franklin, who stands with his mace at the ready in front of him, I move over to Paisley, who Kyrain moved away from in his clash with Franklin.

"If I can hurt you, I can kill you." Franklin says to Kyrain as I grab one of Paisley's ankles firmly with my better hand and very gently with my bad one. As soon as I start to try and pull, my tender hand feels like it's about to come apart again, like my hand is a glass vase that was shattered, put back together, and held with school glue that hasn't fully dried. Despite the scary feeling, I continue to pull anyway, praying that nothing clicks or snaps.

_Click._

I gasp as the sound goes straight to my head and release Paisley immediately. At first I think the sound was just my imagination, then I feel my hand start to tingle and throb. Tears wet my eyes, and I look back at Franklin and Kyrain, biting my lip.

Kyrain roars and swings at Franklin with his other gauntlet. Franklin tries to move, but he's not quite quick enough, and is winged in the shoulder by the spiked gloves, causing him to stagger and nearly fall. The spikes don't penetrate, but they're dire enough to take off three of the five points of armor he had.

"Franklin!" I wail. Paisley starts to stir. I desperately try to shake her with my good hand and keep my bad hand as still as possible so I don't do any more damage. "Paisley! Paisley, wake up! Please! Franklin needs you to get up!"

Paisley's eyes open and she slowly fights to stand. Franklin raises his mace for another defense, but Kyrain swings a leg out and sweeps Franklin's feet out from under him. Franklin yells as he topples to the ground, but he manages to hold onto his mace, which he swings at Kyrain's ankle. Unfortunately, he got struck by the flat space of the mace between the rows of spikes; otherwise his foot might have been sheared off. Regardless, the impact shock travelling up the monster's leg is visible as he growls with rage and is forced to take a knee to stay upright.

"Franklin, she's up!" I yell, trying to support unsteady Paisley as best as I can. "Come on, let's get out of here!"

"Not before I kill him…" Franklin says, slowly rising. "He's going to pay for what he did to you, Aylau, and what he was about to do to my sister."

I bite my lip, watching Franklin raise his mace, then I close my eyes.

"Wait!" Kyrain shouts. I open my eyes, confused. Kyrain has a hand raised toward Franklin, an odd look on his face. Franklin looks confused, too, and hesitates for a moment. In that hesitation, Kyrain goes back from pleading to manic and grins wildly as he lunges on the weight of his good leg, giving Franklin a shattering head-butt.

"No!" Paisley and I scream together. Franklin drops his spiked mace as he collapses, and it turns back into a present. Franklin had armor, thankfully, but he's very dazed and groans. His armor ticks down to zero.

"Franklin!" I screech. "Franklin, get up! Run!"

Paisley is still disoriented and I can't do anything with the hand I probably started to break again. We just stare helplessly as Kyrain laughs and stands up fully.

"So gullible…" he says, shaking the leg that got jarred by Franklin's low blow. "You fight a lot better than your sister. I almost don't want to kill you anymore. Almost."

Kyrain looks at me and Paisley. "I'm in no mood to chase you, so if you're going to run, I suggest you go now."

"Franklin, no…" Paisley whispers, tears flowing. Her little brother, still weak and dazed, fights to sit up, but Kyrain plants a foot on his chest to keep him down.

"Stay down and die like a man. Tell you what, I'll kill you in the best way I can think of: with your own weapon." he says, reaching for the present power-up that contains the shapeshifting weapon. As soon as he touches it, a violent repelling force throws him back and off of Franklin's chest. He flies and bounces off the block wall before landing hard on his side.

My jaw drops. Paisley gasps. The weapon must only be useable by District Eight tributes! I better not touch it, then… Franklin weakly rises and grabs the present, and it turns into a small pink dagger, the only thing he's strong enough to carry. Franklin quickly dismisses the knife and starts to totter toward us. Paisley moves toward him as well, and the two of them hug tightly. The Siblings are reunited. I smile, ignoring the throbbing in my hand, but then I see Kyrain start to stir.

"Come on!" I yell. "We've got to go! You both are too weak to fight him, and my hand is-"

"Attention."

I stop short and my blood chills at the sound of the voice. The First Lady's voice. Above me, the sky changes. The pitch black canvas of the sky above tints an ominous red, and the overhead blocks floating around glow bright red like heat blocks…

I thought I've been a good girl all of my short life, but as I stand under the evil sky… as Paisley and Franklin look up at it too… as Paisley pulls me into her and Franklin's hug…

I'm convinced that I've been translocated straight into hell.

~Dolla's POV~

It's time. I sit in a quiet room of Gamemakers, sitting in Martine Sparrow's seat since she's not present right now. Before me is a giant three-dimensional live simulation of the arena, and all of the live tributes. They think they're in control of their fates, but they are _ours_, and they are about to see that.

"Have all ten bodies been moved?" I ask the closest Gamemaker, who nods.

"Yes, ma'am, and the next two are ready to be moved as soon as able." he responds.

"Excellent. Is everything ready? This must go perfectly, or Phoenix will not be pleased with me, and if Phoenix is not pleased with me, he is even _less_ pleased with those who _caused_ him to become displeased with me."

"Everything is ready, First Lady." a female Gamemaker across the table. "Your voice will be broadcast through the block tower in ten seconds."

The next ten seconds are tense for everyone else in the room as I count on my fingers. I hear a faint humming that tells me the mic is on, then I speak.

"Attention."

As soon as the single word leaves my lip, one button is pressed beside me, and every single flying block above the ground turns red. Across from me, a button is pressed, followed by a dimmer being raised slightly. The sky in the area turns a dim red, almost burgundy. Every tribute in the arena has stopped and is looking up in awe and fear at the sky.

I smile, waiting a second before continuing. "I hope the fourteen of you that remain do not find yourselves too comfortable in your current setting. Everything that is around you is changing, as you can see above. The Games are almost halfway over, and yet… they've only just begun. Allies have been lost. Allies have been found. Battles won. Battles not. Tears and screams. Hugs and kisses."

Here I giggle, which is not in the script. Many of the Gamemakers shiver a little. I turn my head and clear my throat, then continue.

"When you began your journey to Victory, you began at Level 1, the bloodbath stage. You stand now within the last legs of Level 2, around the very tower that heralded your arrival. That keeps you in the Games. The tower is not just a landmark. It is a radio, clearly. It is also the structure that houses the program that translocated you into this arena. That said, this program will also translocate you _around_ the arena, which is the key to your salvation."

My finger hovers over the large red button being held out to me by one of the Gamemakers. "…Behold."

I press the button, and it begins.

~Hunter's POV~

I bare my teeth as I listen to Centari's bitch prattle on about nothing, only taking interest when she starts talking about the tower. As soon as she says 'Behold.', everything starts to shake. I try to move, but my feet are stuck to the ground.

"What the hell..?" I whisper, watching as a glowing square forms on the ground around me. All of a sudden, I'm lifted into the air on a block that rises from the ground. _High_ into the air. I look down and watch with surprised eyes as the thirteen other tributes that have been around the arena are also lifted into the air on similar blocks as mine. I see green nodes not far.

"Bronwyn!" I call. She looks over.

"Hunter! What's going on?" she calls to me.

"I don't-" I stop as I watch what's going on below. The arena is… coming apart. We're safe on our block platforms, of course, but it's disorienting watching the ground beneath you come apart into many smaller structures similar to those that were… are… floating above. The tower itself uproots from the ground and flies up into the air, colliding with the invisible 'roof' of the arena. Suddenly, the tower begins to separate from the bottom, spreading out wider from the bottom and narrowing out the higher it goes, until it turns from a block tower into a funnel leading into a glowing light, a hole in the arena roof.

The arena above, around, and below us changes shape in a blurring dance of rotation and motion. I can't keep up, and grit my teeth and close my eyes until I hear it all come together with a finalizing hiss. When I open my eyes, I'm stunned.

The arena has completely transformed. We're now standing on a structure high above where we were before, on a perforated surface with holes that fall down onto a pit of heat blocks. All of the heat blocks that formed from the transformation of the flying blocks before the whole arena began changing have come together into the floor of a pit, underneath the block surface we now stand on. The structure is shaped like a ziggurat, a spiraling structure that leads up to the top, where the funnel lies. A simple mistake meant falling to death by burning against the heat blocks… I look around, and it looks like the other tributes are standing in a wide circle around the structure, like it was at the bloodbath…

"What the hell…" I whisper as I look around, finding it hard to take everything in.

"Like I said, this is the last leg of Level 2. Your objective before was to survive. Kill or be killed. Your objective now is to run. You will race for us, tributes. Race to the top with all of your might and accept your salvation into Level 3." Dolla's voice continues. "If you fall, there is no saving you. So don't fall."

I can finally lift my feet, and I look around before I start running to begin climbing the spiraling ziggurat toward the funnel. Other tributes do the same.

"Good luck, tributes. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor." are Dolla's last words before her voice departs.

With the red sky and glowing funnel above us, and a burning heat block pit beneath, I'm certain the Gamemakers have sent us to hell and left it to us to fight our way out. I'm _getting_ out. And I'm taking Bronwyn with me.

_It's on, now._

**(A/N: So, yes. I've decided that the chapter was far too long for just one, so I'm stopping it here. The **_**next **_**chapter will be the last chapter of Level 2. xD It all comes down to this. Who's going to survive the ziggurat and accept the 'salvation' of the next level of the most dire Quell ever to call itself a Game? Stay tuned and find out next chapter, kiddos. ;3**

**Four reviews so far! Three more and you'll get that Annie Cresta POV I promised! :D REVIEW!**

**Goodbye for now, Hungry Gamers! We'll see you on the other side… :P)**


	41. One Hand Up

**(A/N: Oi, alas, my perfect record tarnished! I got what I think is my first negative review for the story (at least this version) the day I posted it. :( What I thought was my best chapter yet can come across as hackneyed, apparently. That's what I get for taking risks, I guess. Ah, well. I can't please everybody all the time, and I can't delude myself, either. Might as well explain myself, for the record.**

**The weapon is said to be on par with a Megaweapon, but it's actually just on par with Paisley and Franklin, whose best weapons were "sword" and "mace" respectively, according to TeamAvatar's tribute submission form. Although in retrospect, Eight's weapon **_**might**_** be tad gaudy. At first, I was just going to give Paisley the sword and Franklin the Morningstar and leave it at that, but I was **_**laaaaaaazy, **_**and just put them both together and made an excuse for it. Shortcut? Yep. Do I regret it? A little. n_n;**

**I tuned up Kyrain a little because I thought he was **_**under**_**done. Looked over his submission form, didn't think I made him enough of a taunting sadist thus far, so I… made him one. It was a harsh leap for me, too, but it was a necessary one that I **_**don't**_** regret.**

**I'm glad to see that I haven't made anyone (that bothers to review) uncomfortable or touchy with that first little part, meant to establish the personalities of the mentors a little, who I've blissfully neglected throughout this story and the original one. That's another big risk I took in my writing, and I'm glad I don't have to regret it **_**yet**_**. xD**

**Okay, this is the longest fucking author's note ever, so I'll just conclude by saying that I don't regret anything that I typed last chapter, except for my laziness with the D8 sponsor weapon. To Stads, I thank you for your criticism, as marginal as it was. Even though I can't, nor will I try to, please all of my readers, I hope that you find my creative output for this chapter more acceptable than I tried my hardest to make it last chapter. If you do, hooray! If not? ¯\(^_^)/¯** **Oh, well! Can't please everybody!**

**And with that out of the way, ONWARD to the last chapter of level 2!)**

~Rhymer's POV~

My eyes dart around rapidly, unable to keep up with every single aspect and detail of the arena as it's transforming. I'd be damned if I didn't try, though. As my platform rises, I see a pinnacle taking form above me and a wide floor of heat blocks below. The pinnacle, shaped like some sort of obstacle course temple, glows with rainbow colors. A funnel of white light above us, and evil red around and below us. This is so _awesome_!

When the arena's transformation is complete, I'm still stuck to my platform, but before me is a perforated staircase leading up to where I can either scale the face of the ziggurat or enter _into_ the structure and brave whatever's in wait.

"JEEEEET! BROOOOONWYYYYYN!" I scream. "Meet me inside! We're gonna tear these munchkins apart!"

I know they both heard me, and I know the Anti-Pack heard me, too. We're outnumbered four to three, but it's three little kids and their lone caretaker. It's no challenge. The glow surrounding my platform dims away and I find I can move my feet again! The First Lady said this was a race. Racing is my thing!

"Good luck, tributes." Dolla's voice says above as I start bolting toward the starting stairway as fast as I can and charge up the steps three at a time. "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

By the time she's finished, I'm halfway up the steps, and as soon as she stops talking, parts of the already-perforated steps turn red, making this my first real obstacle of the course. I don't slow down in time and plant my foot squarely on a red square, sending sharp heat into my foot and a crisp crackling noise through the air around me.

"OUCH!" I shout, jumping to the nearest safe block and hopping on the foot that didn't get struck. My armor ticks from nine to seven and I growl, glaring at my smoking foot. No damage, just that hot and tingling shock.

Gonna have to be more _careful_. Ugh. I start hopping as nimbly as I can on one foot to the safe blocks, bending my leg with each landing so I don't teeter. It's murder on my calf, but I fight through the burn until the tingling in my foot stops. Even though my progress has slowed, I see that I'm _way_ farther ahead than the other tributes around me! I hear a drip up ahead, a power-up drip. I look and see that at the top of the steps is a spinning power-up for a melee spear! Finally, a good weapon! I dance up the rest of the stairs quickly and grab the power-up. Pixels explode and swirl, forming the spear in my hand: a white shaft with a glowing powder-blue spearhead.

"Yeeeeeeees…" I whisper as I look at my new weapon, swinging it and stabbing the air to get a feel for it. I smile, then peer at the entrance to the ziggurat before strutting over to Jet's stairway and cheering him on as he skillfully ascends.

~Bronwyn's POV~

I bite my lip and let guilt wash over me as I hear Rhymer call for me. Even though Tixxie technically got the kill, I had a large part in crippling the Careers with Agate's death. And since I planned on defecting from the Careers in favor of Hunter, that would only leave Rhymer and Jet, not very much of a 'Pack'. I remember the vendetta that the Careers had against the conspiring Anti-Pack, twelve-year-olds and their older guardians. The pack I drew the Careers' attention to. My guilt grows stronger for a moment, and I continue to let it grip me, then I harden myself and turn my mind away from the Careers. I'm not with them anymore. I'm with Hunter, and I have to find him.

I start carefully up the steps, avoiding the red squares and empty squares. I don't feel like getting burned up here or down there… I'm about halfway up when I realize that I'm at an average pace. There are people ahead of me, and there are people behind me. This is good.

"Bronwyn!" I hear Rhymer call. I look up and see her and Jet waiting for me. "Hurry your ass up and get here so we can stomp the tykes!"

I look off to one side and notice Hunter has begun to scale the ziggurat instead of going inside. As soon as I see that, I take aim at Rhymer with the gun I stole from Trexler and fire three quick shots. Two strike her generator, but she screams and manages to move so that the bullet wings her shoulder. Her armor drops to two.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jet calls. I take aim at Jet's face and fire once. My lucky shot manages to catch him right in the eye. While I know his armor kept me from doing dire damage, I must have hurt him at least somewhat, because his hand goes immediately to his face and he growls loudly in pain and anger. His armor drops from seven to five.

"You'll hang for this, you trout-assed traitor!" Rhymer promises as she pulls Jet inside the block temple. I fire a couple of warning shots behind them in reply.

That's it, then… I'm an enemy of the two-person Career Pack. I shake the jitters off and continue climbing the steps until I reach the base of the ziggurat. It's a harsh-looking climb to the pinnacle, and there are lots of red and unlit blocks that are sure to make the climb even harder, but the sight of Hunter fearlessly scaling the face of the structure gives me hope that I can, too. I have to catch up to him. My hands get a grip on the side of the ziggurat, and I grit my teeth as I begin to climb.

~Pyra's POV~

I can tell by the frustrated growls and swears from the bathroom that Terra is certainly making herself quite at home here in the D2 suite. I'm trying to feel bad for Jet, who's now most likely blind in one eye for a while, but every time I hear Terra growl in frustration, my lips can't help but twist in a grin.

"The fuck did you eat, Terra?" Aquos asks beside me, leaning back on the sofa and craning his neck to look at the bathroom door. I lose it after that. I take my eyes off the television and lean forward, resting my forehead on my knees and cackling hysterically. Nimbus, on my other side, doesn't miss a beat, of course. He remains frozen with his chin resting on the bridge of his interlocked fingers, watching the TV with sharp eyes.

"It's not what I ate!" Terra calls back. "It's this stupid shower! I can't get it to run the way I want it to!"

"T-Terra, it's idiot-proof!" I stammer, wiping away a tear. "I hate technology as much as you do, and even -I- figured out those dumb showers in no time!"

"I can work the damn thing just fine!" Terra answers back. "I can't find the settings I want! When I was here for my Games, they had an awesome radial soap shell thing that caused your dead layer of skin to crack up and fall away; I looked awesome while it was working! I've gone through every button, lever, and dial, but I can't find it anymore!"

I'm in the middle of laughing and am about to tell her the chemicals used in that feature were linked to a neural infection that, in short, made you stupider, when Alto walks in from the guest room hall.

"You just missed Rhymer's death." I tell him.

"_WHAT?_" he responds with a priceless look on his face. Aquos and I immediately burst into laughter. Nimbus's lip twitches, but he manages to keep a straight face. At this point, Alto realizes it's a joke and his face sours. "That's not funny, Pyra."

"Then why am I laughing so hard?" I respond between breaths.

"Ugh! Forget this! I've been in here long enough anyway!" Terra's voice grumbles from the bathroom. She steps out of the steaming room, one towel wrapped around her body and another scarfed over her shoulders. Her hair is a comical cone of soap and bubbles. She's dripping wet and doesn't seem to care as she tracks water into the main room. Terra stops as she sees Alto, and the two lock eyes for a moment.

"Keep your eyes up, slim. You've got a girlfriend to cheer on." Terra snorts as she sits in the empty space of the couch beside Nimbus, who still doesn't look away from the TV. "Make yourself useful and get me some of those big purple mutant fruits they grow here."

"Storlis bulbs?" Alto questions. "But I'd have to go all the way down to the street level and buy them from the-"

Alto stops when he catches the glare Terra fixes on him. It's hard to look intimidating when your hair's wild and soaked and you're wearing a towel, but Terra makes it happen.

"I'll… go get storlis bulbs." Alto caves, shoving his hands in his pockets as he heads for the elevator.

"That's what I thought you said!" Terra calls to him as he leaves. She doesn't get an answer.

"Geez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bedrock." Aquos snickers. "Don't you ever get tired of riding that kid?"

"Can it; I'm not in the mood." Terra replies. That ends that funny little scene and the conversation in the room for a while as the four of us watch the Games. The mood coasts into neutrality, then I finally speak up.

"So, we're just going to sit here like nothing's wrong?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Nimbus turn his eyes up and to the left. I try to follow his gaze without turning my head and realize he's looking at a camera. "As far as we're concerned…" Nimbus starts, his voice as quiet and airy as it always is. "Nothing -is- wrong. We just need to keep doing what we're told."

"Correctly, this time." I add with a touch of bitterness.

Another thick curtain of silence falls over the room, and it isn't lifted until Alto returns with Terra's storlis bulbs. I hear her say - well, yell… - words, but I don't hear exactly what's said. My eyes are on the TV, and I watch as a tribute falls through the air down toward the pit of fire blocks. I hear a cannon and the announcement of a name, but again, I don't hear exactly what's said… I'm too distracted. By what we're going to have to do in a couple of days.

~Tixxie's POV~

I'm panting by the time I reach the top. There's no power-up waiting for me like there was for some of the other tributes. Bummer, I could use some energy… As if to answer my thoughts, I hear a drip beside me and turn, raising my eyebrow at the power-up as it falls beside me. It's a lightning bolt with a note behind it… My other eyebrow rises and I grab the power-up, which swirls into pixels around my hand and becomes a large container with a cup cap, filled with a delicious-looking shiny red liquid. Taped to the top of the cap is a folded note. I look around, and others are beginning to enter the ziggurat or scale its sides. Better hurry and find out what the heck this crap is…

I rip off and unfold the note, and my heart rises into my throat as I realize who it's from and what it's saying.

_Dear big sis,_

_Don't drink it all at once._

_We've been watching._

_We love you both._

_Take care of Trexler. ;)_

_Trine Finnegan_

I swallow the lump in my throat as I start to unscrew the cap on the juice stuff. I look inside and give it a long whiff. Mixed fruit… I feel a hand on my shoulder and I almost jump and spill the drink. I turn and see Trexler looking down at me and then raising an inquisitive eyebrow to my canteen.

"Don't scare me like that again." I warn him. "I'm about to find out what it is."

I pour some liquid into the cup cap and take a moment to drink it down slowly. It's as delicious as it looks. The effect is almost instant. I feel my heart start to beat faster and energy running through my blood. I screw the cup cap back on and shake my head rapidly as I dismiss the canteen.

"Aw, I wanted a taste…" Trexler whines.

"Shut up and start climbing!" I whoop as I jump up and get a good grip on the first block up, beginning my climb. Trexler gets a grip on his own first block without jumping, and I'm almost mad at him for being so much taller than me. I'm way too hyped to be mad, though! My tiny muscles bulge with new energy as I start to climb faster. Trexler's not far behind.

I start to ache within seconds, but I'm too full of energy to care. Not even Dolla Centari's loud single-worded announcement is enough to slow me down.

"One!"

Out of sheer curiosity, I look around to see what she's talking about while climbing.

"Tix!" Trex calls. "Just keep climbing. The stairs we started on are disappearing!"

I look up a few feet and memorize where my hands and feet will have to be placed, then look down the ziggurat while I'm climbing. My eyes widen when I realize how right Trex was. The fourteen radial staircases each of us started on quickly turned into heat blocks before they all began to fall, adding to the hell pit below us. It's just the circular floor of the ziggurat, the ziggurat itself, and the flat pinnacle of the ziggurat, where I guess we enter that portal-thing into Level 3…

While I'm climbing, I quickly scan the faces of the other tributes climbing this face besides Trexler. Jinstance… Ebony… Chiro… Salt, I think his name is… And Kyrain!

I stop.

"Tix? Tix, what are you doing?" Trex calls behind me. I hardly hear him. While images of Kyrain brutally mangling his District partner's hand and talking horrible garbage about that same District partner the night of the interviews run through my head, I grip the next block up with my left hand and think about my Megaweapon. My right arm becomes my arm cannon and my eyes glow.

"Tix! What are you doing!" Trex repeats, having climbed a bit ahead of me and stalled when he saw I had equipped my Megaweapon. I ignore him again and take aim at Kyrain, who doesn't see me yet. I yell out and fire clumsily at the boy I cared little for and feared a little before now. I've got such a rush going from that energy drink that I want vengeance on a whim for the little girl I cared little for and _still_ pity now.

Kyrain doesn't see it coming, and the energy ball I fire slams right into the block beside where he's climbing now, blowing a hole straight through it. He freezes and looks straight at me. I'm so hyped up and excited that I hardly care and fire again. He sees this one coming and grips the block he's scaling with one hand and using the other to summon a dire spiked gauntlet that he uses to batter the energy ball away. It bounces like a pinball off blocks as it flies down the face of the ziggurat before exploding close to the base. Kyrain's gauntlet is smoking.

I fire my third and final shot before he can prep himself to properly deflect it again. It's heading right for him. It's a sure thing. But Kyrain throws his body to the left at the last moment, diving into the hole I made with my first clumsy shot. I'm already stunned enough, but that's not the worst of it. The truly sobering part of my final shot is when it pinballs wildly against the blocks again before slamming right into Salt's head.

~Chiro's POV~

"Keep going, Chiro!" I hear Salt say as I freeze after seeing the explosions of the girl from Three's arm blaster as she tries to strike Kyrain. I look back at him and he's straining to keep climbing. We're almost halfway up the ziggurat, and it's already putting a big strain on the both of us. I just have to keep thinking, one hand up, one foot up. Other hand up, other foot up. I can't stop for long or I'll lose my self-inspired momentum and never reach the top…

I look back at Salt and he smiles at me. "That is it, little buddy! Just keep-"

Before he says another word, it happens. Salt is there one moment and gone the next. A flash of light and a loud boom rattles my nerves, and when I get my senses back, my blood stops cold in my veins when I see Salt flying with his arms flailing off the side of the ziggurat.

"NOOOO!" I screech as I watch him tumble head over heels down the face of the ziggurat. "SALT! NOOOO!"

I scream at the top of my lungs, forced to watch with tears in my eye as Salt slams hard into the floor at the base of the structure. There's a cracking noise that's audible from here, and as Salt's momentum carries him past the point of no return and off the structure entirely into the open air, down toward that heat block pit… I can only hope that one dire landing was enough to kill him so he didn't have to die later from burning below… I watch until I see his limp body catch fire while still falling, then I turn away and press my forehead against the block I'm climbing, crying hot tears down my cold, shivering face. I hear the cannon, then the announcement.

"SALT AUBERDEEN: GAME OVER." First Ariana… Now Salt…

I look up and see the look of pure shock on the girl from Three's face. She can't even move until her District partner grabs her arm and starts to help her up. She only looks back once, right at me. Her glowing eyes are filled with shock, and then pure, bitter sorrow as she dismisses the weapon and becomes fully human again, turning her head back and continuing to climb.

I'm not angry at her. It wasn't her fault. She wasn't aiming at Salt. I'm not sure who I'm angry at, but I feel the heat build inside me and give me the strength to keep climbing. It's what Salt would have wanted. One hand up…. One foot up…. Other hand up…. Other foot up….

~Jet's POV~

Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn….

I take my hand away from my face and open my bad eye. Together with my good one, it's like I'm looking through a streaked window. Shapes are dancing in front of me, and just the ambient light of the blocks around me is enough to give me a headache.

Rhymer grabs my face and turns me toward her, looking straight into my bad eye.

"Damn…" she says, voice my thoughts exactly. "It's like someone painted it on you. Messily. At least it's still there. That probably means it'll heal."

"Or get worse…" I groan as I close the bad eye and look around as best as I can with my good one. Inside the ziggurat is cooler than I would've thought. Starting along the wall right beside me is an upward spiraling ramp leading up toward the pinnacle. The ramp is alive with obstacles, of course. Heat blocks, empty spaces and the like. Alternatively, there's a giant rope climb that leads up to the same place the ramp does.

"Running's your specialty." I tell Rhymer. "I'd rather climb."

"You're a slow-moving target on the-" Rhymer starts to argue before she realizes the only other tributes inside the ziggurat are three of the members of the Anti-Pack, already halfway up the ramp. "On second thought, go ahead. There's nothing that can hurt you in here."

She pats me on the shoulder before she equips her new spear and starts to charge full speed up the ramp. I can only stand and watch for a moment. Rhymer's much faster than I thought she was…

I shake my head and turn to the rope climb. With a grunt, I leap up and grab the rope tightly with both hands before I start to power my way up the rope with all my might. I'm making good speed, and as I climb, I watch Rhymer, who's quickly catching up to the Anti-Pack, effortlessly dodging empty spaces and moving heat blocks while the two kids and their babysitter carefully ease their way through each obstacle. I'm halfway up when the plot starts to thicken. I hear a boom and the rope starts to sway. I keep climbing, but it's disorienting. Looking around, I notice a hole in the structure. Several seconds later, I watch Kyrain dive into the recently-made hole, falling a few feet before rolling to a halt in Rhymer's path. I half-expected her to stab him with her spear and keep going, but I guess his sudden appearance surprised her so much that all she could do was yelp, jump over him, and keep going.

The Anti-Pack noticed Kyrain's arrival, as well, and they start to pick up speed. Still not as fast as Rhymer, but they're slowing the rate at which she's closing the distance.

"Two!" I hear a voice on the air. Below me, something chilling happens… The floor of the structure becomes a floor of heat blocks, then falls away to join with the pit of heat blocks below, leaving me hanging in the open air… Nice.

I look up, not realizing how high I've climbed or how tired my arms are. I still refuse to realize it as I try my best to maintain my pace. I'm almost there. So is the Anti-Pack. As much as I'd like to believe I can, I can't take on three at once. Not even two little kids and one _real_ opponent. As soon as I've climbed the whole length of the rope, I grip the edge of the square hole that leads up to the pinnacle and climb through. All this while only being able to see out of one eye… Not bad.

I collapse onto my back and breath out, staring with awe at the giant swirling vortex above me, looking much like the gateway to heaven… I turn my head and see that people are beginning to climb up from the sides. Fourteen people all trying to converge on one spot, near where I am now.

I don't like what I'm sensing…

~Aylau's POV~

We're so close… I can see the glow of salvation from this hell into another right above us. We've reached the top of the ramp, and within seconds, that girl from Two will have, as well.

"We can take her." Franklin says. He's still angry and itching for a fight… I guess I would be too if I had a sister who was in the situation Paisley was in.

"Don't be dumb, Franklin." Paisley says, guiding him to the square exit up to the pinnacle. "We can take _her_, but Kyrain will be on top of us, too, before we can finish her. I don't like our chances. Up."

Franklin nods silently and climbs up with Paisley's help. I realize something with dread as I walk up to have Paisley lift me to safety.

"P-Paisley… my hand…"

Paisley looks at my swollen hand and blanches, realizing the same thing I do: I can't make that little climb with one hand. After all the dire obstacles we've averted, it cuts deep that this simple one is what's holding us up.

"On my back." Paisley says, squatting. She looks strong, certainly stronger than I am, but I don't want to tell her that I doubt she has the strength to carry the both of us through the exit. I climb on anyway.

"Hold on tight." she tells me. I obey immediately, curling my arms around her and trying hard not to touch my bad hand too much. Then with a loud grunt, Paisley throws herself up from her squatting position, grasping the side of the exit hole tightly and groaning as she pulls with all of her strength. I'm… amazed… Either I'm really, really tiny, or Paisley is just… a superwoman. Perhaps both.

I lift myself from Paisley's back and stare up at the swirling light above, wondering what Level 3 will be like… I don't have time to think for long. Paisley grabs me and Franklin and pulls me away. I look over and see Jet from Two climbing up to his feet. Rhymer, his District partner, climbs up quickly through the hole and joins Jet. Both of them back away like we're doing, and I realize why as Kyrain comes up as well. Still armorless, but still terrifying… I look around and see others have reached the pinnacle and are running toward the center, where we are. It looks like just about everyone is up here…

"Three!" the First Lady's voice calls out. There's suddenly a bright red glow coming from the hole we just climbed through. The structure below has turned into heat blocks. There's a male scream…

"Chiro!" Franklin yells. I look where he's looking and watch as Chiro desperately tries to climb up to the pinnacle. He finally makes it up to the top, but he was in contact with the heated structure for so long that it brought his armor all the way down to zero. I look to Chiro's left and see the two from Three holding hands as they run toward the center of the pinnacle. I look to Chiro's right, and… no.

The young boy from Thirteen keeps running, but his partner, the girl with the cold eyes, takes something quickly from his hand, handing him the hatchet that was in her hands before in place of it. The Thirteen girl turns quickly on her heel, and the glinting glow of the thing in her hand tells me it's a throwing knife. No…

"CHIRO!" I scream. But I'm too late. The Thirteen girl flings the knife, which twirls blade over handle through the air for a second. Chiro looks up just in time to see the knife that slides cleanly into his forehead with a wet _*shunk*_.

My hand claps over my mouth, and Paisley yells out, turning me away. But it's too late. I saw it. And my heart explodes with grief in my chest. I hear him fall forward. Then the cannon.

"CHIRO RAYDEN: GAME OVER."

~Ebony's POV~

Perfect target. I turn back around quickly and shut him out of my mind, just like Newt taught me. He was young, but he stood in my way to Victory. They _all_ do. I look back toward the center of the pinnacle and see that the other tributes look frozen in place with weapons raised, ready for a fight. Except Jinstance, who's frozen in front of my with my hatchet in his hand, his face shocked. I fully expected another bloodbath to ensue once everyone got here… Why're we all standing around?

Then I realize I can't move, either. Right after I turned around, I was stuck… What's happening?

"FOOOOOOOOOOOUR!" I hear Dolla's voice in the air above. Then the pinnacle starts rising… Rising up higher… Higher… Until we're all bathed in the bright light. I feel my stiff body starting to float, and then the same thing happens that happened in the Translocator. I'm being taken apart and put back together again in another place… I can't even close my eyes… I watch as my vision fractures and fades away, and everything goes black.

It's time to face Level 3.

~Corla's POV~

It's all silent, just how I like it. The doors are closed. The lights are off. The only thing on is the TV, put on pause with a frozen image of Hunter Riverson's critical face. I blink and adjust my glasses before I press the 'PLAY' button with my thumb. The footage is of Hunter listening as Dolla Centari makes her first speech.

"When you began your journey to Victory, you began at Level 1, the bloodbath stage. You stand now within the last legs of Level 2, around the very tower that heralded your arrival. That keeps you in the Games. The tower is not just a landmark. It is a radio, clearly. It is also the structure that houses the program that translocated you into this arena. That said, this program will also translocate you _around_ the arena, which is the key to your-"

Pause. Rewind.

"It is also the structure that houses the program that translocated you into this arena. That said-"

Pause. Fast-forward.

"-will also translocate you _around_ the arena."

Rewind.

"-into this arena."

Fast-forward.

"-_around_ the arena,"

Rewind…

"-into this arena."

Fast-forward…

"-_around_ the arena,"

Pause.

I blink, staring at the screen for a long moment, even though there's nothing really to stare at. It's quiet. But my mind is loud and active. I'm still for a long moment. Then I reach over to the side and pick up the small black private phone that sits on the end table.

001-227-4865

"Did you find something?" asks her voice on the other end immediately.

"Yes." I answer quietly. "The First Lady gave us our answer."

"…Excellent. Tell me every detail."

~Marie's POV~

…K-Kill…

~Agate's POV~

…T-Them…

~Meaghen's POV~

…A-All…

~Choux's POV~

Kill.

~Sorrel's POV~

Them.

~Kern's POV~

All.

~Ellie's POV~

KILL!

~Thorne's POV~

THEM!

~Dawn's POV~

ALL!

~Salt's POV~

_**KIIIIILL!**_

~Ariana's POV~

_**THEEEEEEEEM!**_

~Chiro's POV~

_**AAAAAAALL!**_

**(A/N: And that, Hungry Gamers, is the last chapter of Level 2. Whoever has listened to the song Tetris by 2pm would have some idea of where the "One!" "Two!" "Three!" "FOOOOOOUR!" comes from. n_n**

**This chapter felt a bit rushed in some places for me. That might be fatigue. :P I'll be less tired soon, pinky promise!**

**That last little bit probably gave away a lot more than I intended it to, now that I look at it. xD If you don't get it yet, don't worry. You will. ;3**

**The next chapter will be an interlude chapter, containing the Annie POV and a few others that have nothing to do with the actual main plotline. Trololol. It'll be good, all the same! The chapter AFTER that one will introduce Level 3.**

**12 tributes down. Eleven left to go before we find our winner. The first twelve-year-old has fallen, and I share Demigodgirl's sentiments. It's tough killing these characters, because they're all amazing. I love these guys soooooo much!**

**But the story must progress, and as it does, more heart-wrenching deaths will have to occur. :( I'm EAGERLY awaiting your reviews, Hungry Gamers. Rest in peace, Salt and Chiro. You will be missed. A lot. T-T**

**May all your Hearts beat with Calamity! Until next time, Hungry Gamers!)**


	42. Short Pause! :(

**(A/N: Heya, readers! :( Unfortunately, a computer crashed wiped most of my progress for the next chapter. It might be another week or so until I can get the chapter up. u_u In the meantime, I'd like for you guys to check out a new little side project of mine: Sylvan's Kinda-Sorta Love Quest. Even if you don't know what Tiny Castle is (go find out!), I'm sure you'll enjoy the story. :)**

**To keep this chapter from being flagged, here's a short excerpt from the story.)**

_Once upon a time, in the Bubblestone Woods,_

_In the tiny little kingdom of Dreamvale,_

_Little fairies played like little fairies should,_

_And big fairies delivered the mail._

_Gryphon and Phoenix took to the sky,_

_Garden Nymph and Treant the land,_

_Mermaid and Siren swam happily by,_

_In the big of it, all things were grand!_

_But the heart of Sylvan beat violently so!_

_It was true, she was nearly adult,_

_But all of her friends had all found their beaus,_

_And she had yet to find herself a colt!_

_A Pegasus maiden would rarely groan,_

_She was pure! For this, she should be proud!_

_But she longed to find love and have foals of her own_

_So, for now, she lived under a veeeeeery dark cloud…_

**(A/N: There ya go! Now go check out the rest while I hate my computer!)**


	43. The Game Is Live

~Annie's POV~

… Do you ever wonder… what hell sounds like?

Take the worst sounds you can imagine. All of them. Nails on a chalkboard, bones breaking, the distorted screams of loved ones, that low hum that's at _just_ the right frequency to make your brain say 'Fuck you.' to the rest of your body, quiet whispers you know are about you but can't hear the words of… monkey screeches…

Take all those awful noises, mash them together, and then multiply that awful mass by… about seven. Then add on the fact that you're strapped to a wooden seat, you have a blindfold on, you're gagged so you can't scream, and every few seconds, a voice behind you demands calmly that you "Tell us what you know." even though you know that they know that you don't know anything.

That's where I am. That's my hell.

I'm never sure exactly how long I'm being audibly tortured. Minutes? Seconds? Hours? It's all too long, and I lose track of time within moments. When it's over, they don't say anything to me. They just unstrap me and drag my limp, crying form back to my windowless ventilated cell where there's always a plate of halfway decent food waiting for me. Today it's a cheeseburger and waffle fries.

There's no clock in my cell, only the walls and the solid metal door that's impossible to open from the inside. There's no lock; it's just the way the door and frame are built. I have absolutely no idea what time it is or how long I've been here, and that's a torture in itself. I've measured the time by how many torture sessions I'd been through. Just now was my ninth.

*drip*

My hands immediately fly to my ears as the dripping begins again. I don't know how, but the people holding me down here are manipulating a trickle of water into my cell to further my torment. When you just got through listening to hell, all you hear is hell for the next while. Dripping water is a like a tiny mallet being repeatedly bashed against my temple. Footsteps are the booming trots of giants. I'm afraid to speak, because my own voice is so distorted to me that I can't recognize myself, and self-recognition is probably what's keeping me from going even _more_ insane.

I sit with my eyes closed and my hands against my ears, just waiting to die and go to hell again…

BOOOM!

I almost pass out then and there at the loud sound of a nearby explosion, which might have also been the angry roar of a giant mutt getting loose. I screech out in pain and fear as booming footsteps pass by my door. Mutts everywhere! _Coming to finish me!_ They won't get the pleasure!

I wrap my hands around my throat and begin to squeeze as tight as I can, to try to end myself before the mutts do. I fall to the side and flail, choking for breath but not allowing myself any. It almost works. My eyes start to fail as the door opens and someone runs up and yanks me to my feet, tearing my hands away from my throat and forcing me to drink in oxygen.

"You're Annie?" the distorted voice of the person holding me echoes in my skull. I take my first good look at him and realize that this boy is Katniss's cousin who was interviewed near the end of the 74th Games… I'm so confused. I just whimper and nod at him before my head falls to the side.

"Come on; that explosion won't be too long a distraction. We're getting you out of here." Katniss's cousin tells me, and the last thing I see is him dragging me out of my cell with other men armored like he is guiding us down a long hallway.

Then I pass out. It's the best sleep I've had since before my Games.

~Bronwyn's POV~

I'm restored to consciousness instantly, my eyes snapping open to look up at a weird-colored ceiling. It's a rich pinkish-brown color and it's very plain, except for the ceiling fan spinning above me and causing the air around me to tickle my face.

This air…

I slowly sit up, and as I do, I realize more about my surroundings. I'm in a nightgown, alone in a large bed I don't deserve. My family is one of the wealthiest in District Four, but we'd have a hard time affording this bed, let alone the whole room. I look around at this magical place I've been taken to. The room is large and rectangular. A couple of comfy chairs are stationed around a glass coffee table. Bright lamps are plugged in all around the room and all the drapes are closed. On a nightstand beside my bed is a tray of breakfast food. There are three doors in the room and all of them are closed.

I swing my legs over the bed and set the warm plate of bacon, eggs, and cut sausage links in my lap, emptying my plate relatively quickly. I can't remember eating in the arena, so this is a welcome sight. Come to think of it, I can't remember winning… My mind must be pushing the memories out of my-

I can't remember Hunter dying… Did I kill him? Did we make it to the Final Two and…

The thought makes me sick, and I almost empty my stomach of the good food I just put into it. I set my plate back on the nightstand and stand to my feet, letting the light fabric of my gown billow softly under the coolness of the fan.

This air, though… Something's wrong about it.

I shrug, thinking it must be some sort of aftereffect of leaving the simulated arena. My bare feet make no sound on the warm red carpet as I walk across the room toward one of the closed doors. I open it up and smile at the sight of a bathroom, complete with a Capitol shower and everything! So good… A shower is what I need now. I feel filthy. I don't immediately see the towels, so I turn and look at the closed door right beside the bathroom door, thinking that must be where the towels are kept. I casually walk up to it and open it, and when I look inside, my face goes pale and my casual idle lips turn down into a frown. I've been pinched and I'm no longer dreaming… The room I'm looking in now is a closet. Inside, there is only one outfit: a grey futuristic jumpsuit-like garment. There is a disc-like contraption in the center of the chest, lined with a ring cut into ten glowing white sections. Above the right breast is a glowing green number '4'. This is my armor. The Game's not over. _I'm still in the arena…_

I close the closet door for a moment and just freeze up there for a long moment, my hand still on the doorknob. Now that I'm sure I'm still in danger, the relaxed Victor in me dies and the analyst in me comes out. I think critically about my surroundings and where I am, exactly… What is this place?

I knew immediately that the air in this place was wrong, but I wasn't sure how. Now that I care, I think a little deeper, and I know. It's wrong because it's too perfect. Real air is heavier. There's dust, water, and other elements in real air. The air I'm breathing is too light and clean to be natural.

I slowly take my hand from the doorknob and walk toward one set of closed drapes as I think about why the Gamemakers would need to simulate air. It doesn't take me long to find that answer, either. This is an environment. Level 2 wasn't. I didn't notice Level 2's air at all, if it had any. This is more real. But why? Why perfect air? Why not simulate _actual_ Earth air?

This answer does not come to me until I open the drapes, then it makes perfect sense. I part the silky curtains and look out into a never-ending blackness pockmarked with little white, orange, and blue dots. We aren't on Earth.

_We're in outer space…_

I pull the drapes closed again and take a deep breath of the simulated simulated air… We're in space…

I shiver and back away from the window, viewing this room in an entirely different light… I'm far too distressed to be any good to myself, so I walking into the closet and grab the suit, slinging it over my shoulder. As I turn to leave, a glimmer on the floor draws my attention. I look down in the corner of the closet and see a sleek-barreled black handgun. I'm guessing it's based off the one from Level 2 I had, even though it looks a little different.

It occurs to me as I pick the gun up: it wasn't in power-up form. I try and fail to dismiss the weapon. This really _is_ an environment. What kind of video game is this supposed to be?

"Good morning, evening, afternoon." comes a man's voice over a speaker in another corner of the room. "Welcome, tributes, to Level 3."

The voice is old, but strong and experienced. I've only heard it once before, but there's no mistaking the voice of Fredrick Edison Brigand, President Centari's Head Peacekeeper.

"As you might have discovered, things are different here than they were in Level 2. The power-ups you've come to recognize will be in a different form. The suits are in a different form. Your time here will be in a different form. The Game is live, boys and girls. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

The Head Peacekeeper's voice says no more. I have to wonder what he meant by saying the Game is live. Wasn't it always live? I shrug and look over at the final closed door in the room. That must be the exit. I'm not passing up what might be my first and only opportunity to clear my mind with a good shower, virtual or not, but I might as well scan the immediate area to be sure I'm currently safe. I open the door, and nearly scream at what I see.

Outside is a hallway. A dark, mostly unlit hallway that's in apocalyptic conditions. The overhead lights are either dead or flickering violently. There are spats of blood on the floor, and the walls look like they've been clawed at by something. No signs of life. The only light in the hallway is from the room behind me and the windows lining the wall before of me, which let in a dim grey twilight. Above the window directly in front of me is a sign reading 'SECTOR 1 - FLOOR 4'. Out of the window, I can see more of the 'building' I'm in. More specifically, I can see the outer wall of the other end of the ring-shaped space station we seem to be on.

I stand still for a moment, then I slowly step back into the nice room I woke up in and close the door back. I don't speak. I barely breathe. With my suit still slung over my shoulder, I walk slowly into the bathroom and close the door behind me. I _really_ need a shower…

~Tixxie's POV~

The Game is live. I scratch behind my ear and scowl again as I rise from my place against the wall and look around again at where I woke up. By all appearances, it's a wrecked elementary school classroom. I don't know if it's random or if they dropped me here because I look really young and they knew this would piss me off, but if they _were_ trying to piss me off, it worked.

The entire room is perfectly silent and dark except for the square of twilight coming in through the window nearby and the glowing silver '3' on my suit. Speaking of my suit, it's changed, and now it's pretty cool. The actual suit is rubber; I can feel it. But on the outside, it looks like actual futuristic armor. It's covered in metal and hard leather, and it's built in a way that I can move super easily. Back to the room. The carpet is in the pattern of a cheesy quilt, each square having a different color and a different letter, number, or shape inside of it. Old wooden building blocks and kid's toys are all over the floor, and crude drawings hang all over the wall. My guess is pre-kindergarten.

Now for the disturbing shit. The carpet and walls are stained and spattered with blood, but there's not a single corpse, child or teacher, in the room. That's very odd to me. Either no one was really killed in here or the corpses were moved out of the room. I find it hard to believe either of those options. I spot what appears to be a closet nearby and step slowly toward it, half-expecting a pile of little dead bodies waiting for me… I'm confused by what I find instead: my thermos of energy booster juice that Trine gave me sitting on one of the shelves, and a small child's backpack.

I put the thermos in the backpack and then walk toward the window, looking around at the area outside. There's a walkway outside, and as I follow it, I realize that this room is connected to a circular chamber. From here, I can see food vendors and hallways that read 'FOURTH GRADE' and 'FIFTH GRADE' on the other side of the chamber, and in the center is a large collection of tables and chairs where I'm guessing students are supposed to-

_THUMP!_

I scream at the top of my lungs, which is super-loud in the small, quiet room, and step back quickly as something dark and heavy smacks into the window! I hold my hand to my chest and breathe heavily, trying to calm myself and figure out what I saw… The window now has black streaks on it, and-

_THUMP!_

I scream and back up some more, running into the wall and sinking down to a seat as it throws itself against the window again. My eyes widen as I realize it's a person! A boy! _A screaming little boy!_ I stare in horror and scream again as his muffled screeches fog the window and his bloody fingers claw against the shatter-resistant glass. I notice a few things immediately. There's a gash in his temple that makes me wonder how the hell he's still alive, let alone conscious and violently active! His blood is black, and it's everywhere! All over his face, caked in his ratty red hair and stained on his suit! His suit… It's rubber-looking and it's got a glowing purple '11' on it. Eleven…

"Trexler! TREXLER!" I yell desperately as I try to back further away from the window. I've never been more terrified of anything in my whole life..! My breath is wild, and I feel myself sweating. I scream as the boy smashes his head against the window again, now covering most of the surface with his tainted black blood. Without thinking, I aim my right arm at the window and think about my Megaweapon. My suit comes to life. Parts shift, parts, click, parts spin, and parts move, until there's a fancy metal cannon on my arm. My eyes change to how they are in Megaweapon form. I aim at the window and clench my fist, firing once. The silver ball of energy flies toward the window and explodes, shattering the window into a million pieces.

There's a moment of silence, then the boy flies into the room through the window and lands on all fours, breathing like a wild animal. Now I get a good look at him. His bright blue eyes are greatly dilated and his teeth have gone through some sort of monstrous mutation so that many of them are long enough to be tusks and sharp enough to be registered lethal weapons. Much of his skin is dark and necrotic, and he's missing some patches here and there. He's as thin as a pencil and incredibly twitchy. His face is hollow and very young, and he still has much of his pale blonde hair.

I nearly faint with the shock and horror of recognition. I'm staring in the face of Chiro Rayden, the twelve-year old from Eleven and the last tribute to die in Level 2. He screeches at me; unmuffled, it's a terrible, indescribable sound. Then he pounces with his distended jaws wide open to bite me. I scream again and clench my right fist, firing my second energy ball right at his head. It explodes and sends him flying against a wall, knocking a bunch of little kids' pictures off the wall. I hear his armor tick down to five. _He has armor…_

I fire my final shot as he gets up, and the force of the explosion tears a hole in the wall behind him and sends him rolling back onto the walkway. With a frustrated screech, he flails violent and sprints away from the room as his armor goes down to zero. I hear his screams fade away, and then all is silent again.

I tremble uncontrollably as I dismiss my Megaweapon, and then I just break down and curl into a ball, crying and sobbing. This is what the arena's going to be like… The twelve of us that are alive are not only fighting each other, but we're fighting the twelve tributes that are _dead_, too. Zombies…

This is _way_ worse than Level 2. I don't want to move from this room… There are more out there like Chiro. More twisted evil waiting for me. Just the thought absolutely terrifies me… I can't win this Game…

More trembling. I lift my head and look around the room for something to kill myself with. I can't face an inch more of this stupid place. I see a fragment of glass on the floor and start to crawl toward it. I reach out my hand to grab it, then I see Trexler's face in my mind. I pause.

Trexler… I've never needed him so badly. He's the only alternative to suicide. I have to find him, He can protect me… I have to find him before something else does. I drop the fragment and stand up, still trembling. Slowly, I walk toward the door and activate my Megaweapon, opening the door slowly with my left hand and carefully stepping out into the circular pavilion. My heart is still gripped with fear from my encounter with Zombie Chiro, but I have to keep moving or I'll be paralyzed. So I start walking. I look back at the room as I walk and confirm my guess as I see 'PRE-KINDERGARTEN 3' over the door of the room I just left. I quickly look ahead again and walk slowly around the walkway until I reach a corridor with no words over it. Must be the exit. I start to walk down through the dark passage, and I notice a sign that says 'TO SECTOR TWO' on one side, but I stop as I hear rumbling. The sound is vaguely familiar. It's almost like a train…

~Copper's POV~

"Oh… wow…" is all I can say as the confrontation between Tixxie and Chiro concludes. My heart is racing. That had to be one of the scariest things I've ever witnessed. I look at Sparrow beside me, and she nods.

"Wow, indeed, Mr. Keel." she says, adjusting her glasses.

"Sparrow…" I say, trying to keep my composure. We're live, after all. "Would you mind telling me… and the rest of Panem… what we just witnessed?"

The Head Gamemaker pauses a moment before speaking.

"As you know, Mr. Keel, 'recycling' the bodies of tributes for future use in the Games is nothing new to the Hunger Games. It was first done in the 38th Hunger Games, then the 53rd, and then in the 74th as well. The 101st, the 136th, and now we come to the first time In Hunger Games history that the practice of recycling tribute bodies is used in a Quell."

She pauses and smiles, then continues. "It was not hard to do. Changing something in a virtual world is much easier than in the real world. We took the data of the fallen tributes from levels 1 and 2 and altered their code. Enhanced them. Made them horrifying and shocking. Our original idea was to give them a one-track mind to killing any tribute they saw or dying trying. We ran into issues with this program at the last minute and had to scrap it. Our alternative turned out to be _much_ better."

"And this alternative is..?" I ask carefully. Sparrow chuckles.

"Sorry, Copper. That's a secret." she says with a wink. "I'll tell you this, though. The reanimated tributes still want to kill the live ones. But they're under a much more controlled program…"

~Dolla's POV~

I step out of the elevator into the cushy quiet room, looking around. The walls to my left and right are lined with six computers each, and sitting at these twelve computers are who I'm told are the best gamer children in all of the Capitol. I smile. Their parents are getting a lot of money for letting their children play games, but the Capitol is getting MUCH more money from those watching the Games and sponsoring tributes. In the middle of the room, observing the twelve children, is the Training director, Kelythia. She spots me and nods her head.

"Good evening, First Lady." she says, walking up to me. "I trust you're here for a progress report?"

"Gah! GAH! She got my armor down!" yells a frustrated child nearby as he begins angrily mashing keys.

"Run and find more before someone else does." snickers the boy sitting beside him at another computer.

I nod at Kelythia and she clears her throat. "The program is up and running successfully. All twelve fallen tributes have been revived and are now being controlled."

She gestures to the twelve computers and the twelve children.

"Excellent. Phoenix will be pleased." I say, patting Kelythia on the shoulder before turning and re-entering the elevator. I can't help but shudder at how the tributes must be feeling. I'm so glad I can only watch.

**(A/N: I changed my mind on the interlude chapter. I'll do that one another time! I thought I might as well get the first chapter of Level 3 in. :3 What do you think? The idea behind this level was a little broader sense of the 'Player vs. Player' aspect in most multiplayer video games, but this level, like Levels 1 and 2, pays homage to a specific game title. I've dropped several little bitty hints in the chapter, and a couple of big ones, but even now, it'll probably be hard to figure out what series of games Level 3 is referencing.**

**I'll drop you guys another hint in the next chapter, but you're free to guess what it might be, either in a review or by PM. :P**

**Also! If you haven't already, check out my newest side project, Sylvan's Kinda-Sorta Love Quest, and leave me a review! n_n Check my profile for the link to the story!**

**May all your Hearts beat with Calamity, Hungry Gamers! Seeya!)**


	44. Back to Square One

**(A/N: Welcome back, Hungry Gamers! Here we are in the second chapter of Level 3, and we're going to meet more waking tributes as they scan their surroundings and fight to survive. :P**

**Onward!)**

~Ruby's POV~

I heard someone leave the lounge, and I didn't have to look to know it was Olive. I don't blame her. Everyone recognized that the deformed monstrosity we saw was Chiro at about the same time, and everyone immediately began voicing their surprise, anger and disgust.

"They _DID_ this to our _tributes?!_" I hear Fletcher shout.

"Oh my God… Oh my God… Oh my God…" Corla whimpers.

"T-That's… so wrong… Who's gonna enjoy watching that?" Thetis voices sadly.

"The things they'll do for a good show…" Pyra growls darkly. Something about the way she says it peaks my interest slightly. I might have just heard her weirdly.

I can't say anything, knowing that somewhere in the arena, Agate has been morphed into a terrible creature. And his parents and friends have to watch. I rest my head on my knees and my hands behind my head. I feel like crying. Or sleeping. My nightmares are nothing compared to what the Victor of these Games is going to see in his or her head after this is all over. Thyst rubs my back. I look up at him and see that there're already tears in his eyes. He liked Marie, and now he has to see her mutated walking corpse try to kill the other tributes…

I look over at Scott, and his head is in his hands, too. Tawny also looks on the verge of tears. A quick scan around the room reveals that there is not a casual face in the room. Everyone has reacted in some negative way to what we've seen.

I look back at the screen, and my eyes darken.

"You will burn for this, Phoenix Centari…" I promise silently.

~Paisley's POV~

I'm alone again. My brother and Aylau are probably alone again. That means that no matter how scared I am of this strange place, I _have_ to find them…

I woke up in a boiler room with groaning pipes, hissing steam, and rusty everything. I feel like there should be people here, but I'm not really surprised there aren't. This arena was meant for us and us alone. The majority of the light is coming from evenly spaced hanging lamps on the ceiling, but most of them are unlit or broken. The pinkish light from the front of my suit is a little helpful.

I found myself at full armor when I woke up. Guess we're starting fresh in this new level. I'm not sure where I'm supposed to be going, but I start walking anyway, hoping to find some kind of door somewhere. My foot hits something cylindrical and it rolls forward. I look down and see that I kicked a flashlight. This should help a little. I pick it up and turn it on, shining it straight ahead of me.

I jump a little and turn around quickly at the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. I shine my flashlight, and it catches against a crouched… something.

I'm sure this is a mutt as soon as I lay eyes on it. It's crouched, bloody, and breathing heavily, and it's slightly humanoid. Almost all of the skin on its body is necrotic, and his blood is as black as oil. From his crouched position, I can see that the blood-soaked vertebrae of his spine are jutting out of his back, the outward end of each bone, grown out and sharpened into an awful point. I nearly retch with disgust, watching as the beast slowly stands, reaching behind him and roughly ripping part of his vertebrae out of his back, holding the dire point like a stake.

I see his face, and his suit… He's got full armor, too, and a purple seven on his chest. The boy from Seven. Thorne. He roars at me like an animal and leaps with the bone weapon raised. I shriek and dive out of the way. Instead of my armor, he drives the stake into a pipe that was behind me. Hot, angry steam bursts from the broken pipe and right into his face. He screams out in frustration and backs away, his hand over his face. I hear his armor tick down to 8.

I bite my lip and decide to fight my fear of this thing. I yell out and raise my flashlight, smashing the blunt object as hard as I can against his head. He goes staggering back with an alien grunt, and his armor ticks to five. I feel the rush of progress, and with adrenaline speeding my blood, I strike again and send him to his knees as his armor ticks to two.

He rolls away as I try to smash the top of his head and finish off his armor. I use the flashlight how it's supposed to be used and look around for where he went. I hear his animalistic roars off to the right of me, then the sound of cracking wood. I breathe heavily, starting toward where I heard the sound. Thorne broke through a door and disappeared down a hallway.

All I can do is pant and stare for a long moment until I realize that somewhere in this place, Aylau and Franklin are alone, and they might have to face others like Thorne. That gets me moving. I walk toward the broken door, pointing my flashlight down the two branches of the hallway. One branch has a trail of black blood down it, meaning that's probably where Thorne ran. I know where I'm _not_ going.

I take in a deep breath, and then I turn down the path without the black blood trail and sprint. My plan is to run until I find something, but looking out of a window as I pass forces me to pause. I step back and look out the window at outer space. A moment ago, I was panicking. Now I'm paralyzed. I set my hand on the glass and frown. Something about the sight of space makes me think about Scott and how far away I am from him.

"Scott…" I say softly. "If you can hear me… I promise I'm coming back."

And with that, my goals are clear and I turn away from the window, aiming my flashlight ahead and starting to run again. I will win this Game, get back home, and make things as normal as possible with my boyfriend, or I will die trying.

~Bronwyn's POV~

The hiss of water is relaxing to my ears, and the feeling of the warm beads of water is relaxing to the rest of my body. I tilt back my head and let the waters run over my chest, breathing in through my open, clear nostrils. Then I duck my head and let the water run down my back. I blink, taking the time to think about what I'm going to do. Clearly, I have to find Hunter, but I have no idea where he is. I'm back to square one. At this point, it doesn't seem like we'll ever meet up again… But we will. We did. At the very end of Level 2, I saw him and spoke to him. I chased him up the side of that last structure. And I _will_ find him again.

I try to wash my legs and feet quickly so I can wrap this shower up and start moving, but it's far too relaxing to rush. I close my eyes and start to run soap into my hair, when I start to hear a metallic thumping noise over the gentle hiss of the shower. I furl my eyebrows and turn off the water so I can hear it better. I look straight up… It's coming from the ceiling. Is there something in the ducts?

I don't stick around to find out. I try to rush my way out of the shower, but I slip on the wet tile and go tumbling. I try to grab the shower curtain for support, and it works for a second, then I end up pulling down the entire shower rod and crash to the floor. I groan as I lay sprawled on the floor sloppily clothed in a shower curtain. I hear another noise as I start to stand, and when I'm up again, I scream as the duct cover above the shower head bursts open, and _something_ begins to try and pull itself out. Every instinct in me screams for me to run. Run! _RUN!_

I grab my suit and gun in both hands and shoulder the bathroom door, forcing it open. There's an evil and vaguely female screech that I hear as I run soaking wet and stark naked toward the exit door. I sling my suit over my shoulder and reach to open the door with my free hand, but I hesitate for a half a moment. I saw what was out there. It's horrible… What else could be out there that I didn't see, and where would I go once I leave?

I turn my head and look into the face of pure horror. The monster that's crawled out of the ducts is actually a person, a girl wearing a suit much like the one I'm holding. The suit is covered in black blood, and on the right breast is a glowing purple '11'. The girl's skin is chalk-white, and her long hair even whiter, if that's possible. Her hazel eyes are wide and wild and her hair is brutally tangled and matted with the same black blood that trickles down her lips and is caked on her suit. Two of her most disturbing features are the bloody dent in her temple that warps one of her eyes and exposes part of her grey and shriveled brain, and her long, blood-dripping fingernails. They look as sharp as saws and as strong as iron.

Despite her heavily muttated and mutilated appearance, I recognize the face of Ariana, the songbird from Eleven…

She opens her mouth and lets out a hissing screech as she charges toward me out of the bathroom. I reach out and fire the gun in my hand twice. The bullets bounce off her armor, bringing her down to six. She doesn't slow down at all. Now that I see what I'm up against, it's no longer a decision. I throw open the exit door and burst out into the hallway before she can lift her claws and flay me. My gut instinct pulls me to the left, so I start to run as fast as I can while being careful not to cut myself on any of the strewn debris. Blood pounds in my ears as I hear the screech again, and I know she's catching up. I turn the first corner, nearly slipping under my wet feet, and see my salvation a few hundred feet ahead: an elevator with a light on. I start to run just in time. Behind me, Ariana had swung a clawed hand to try to slice at me, but she missed barely, taking a few locks of hair instead. Ariana does slip on the shower water I've dripped, and slams into the ground with a thud. I don't look back. I run right into the open doors of the elevator, drop my gun, and press the 'close doors' button, praying that the elevator works.

Mechanical groaning scratches my ears and the large grey metal doors slowly begin to shut me in. I stare in absolute terror as Ariana drops to all fours and begins to sprint like some animal toward the closing doors. With a desperate screech, she lunges just as the doors close, and I hear her body smack into the doors. There are a few frustrated growls and gurgles, then the voice retreats, and I'm alone in the quiet elevator.

I crumple to the ground and shiver, absolutely traumatized at what I just witnessed. Gasping for breath, I shakily stand again and begin to pull my suit over my wet, shivering body. The zipper starts under the stomach, and when I fully pull it up to my throat, I hear a humming sound and my glowing green '4' glows brighter. I feel safer already…

I lean against the carpeted back wall of the elevator and just breathe, being thankful for every gulp of simulated air. I look over to my right and spot what's probably one of the few things I _actually_ need: a map of the complex.

As I look at it, my suspicions were confirmed. We're on a ring-shaped station in outer space: Panem Station 175. This level of the arena seems to be divided into twelve sections, and the 'YOU ARE HERE!' arrow confirms what I had seen before over the window: I'm on the fourth floor of 'Section 1 - Luxury Suites and Apartments'. It would make sense that each of the twelve remaining tributes would be dropped in one of the twelve sections of the station. I'm in Section 1. What section is Hunter in..? And how many more monsters like Ariana am I going to run into before I find him?

I swallow, walking over to the elevator controls and pressing the '1' button. There's a ding, followed by the stomach-lifting feeling of the elevator descending. I pick my gun back up and try to steady my breathing. I'm going to find Hunter. And I'm going to start looking for him in Section 2.

~Trexler's POV~

The automated door swings open in front of me and I blink. I adjust my glasses and take a step back, watching the door close again. Then I take a step forward and watch it open once again. Automated doors perplex me every time… I slowly shuffle backwards to try to find the door's threshold and discover that it's exactly four feet and 5 inches away from the frame. None of this will help me in the future, and I have much more important things to do - finding Tix, for one... - but things like this distract me without fail, and the inquisitive scholar in me hijacks my controls and pushes all other pressing matters aside.

I stand with the tips of my toes on the sensory threshold and shuffle side to side and in a half circle to determine the shape of the threshold. It's a straight line. The sensors must be in the walls and are connected to the door! I have the sudden urge to tear out the walls and find the sensors and their wires…

A distant clang of metal against metal snaps me back to my senses. I have better things to do. I step through the door and into the mostly-clean signature blue-floored hallways of a medical ward. Unlike much of the space out in the hallway where I woke up, the medical ward is almost fully lit, which puts me a bit more at ease. Less chance for anything to sneak up on me. I step out into an empty waiting room, and a couple of glass double doors, automated hopefully, leading out onto a dark walkway. Above the doorway is a neon sign, reading 'Section 12 - Med Division'.

I should look around for a little bit. I have an idea. I search around the waiting room for some sort of directory and find two maps side by side on a far wall. The first map shows that Section 12 is the last of the twelve divided sections of this ring-shaped space station, in between Sections 11 and 1. The Sections seem to reflect in some way the industries of the active Districts. District 13 used to be known for developing weapons for the Capitol, but that job belongs to District 2 now, so I assume that's where the good weapons and stuff might be. District 13 is known for digging graphite from its own mines and cracking Titansteel out of the rubble of the old District 12, but it's also partially known for the medical service it shows its citizens. I'm not that surprised the hospital is in Section 12.

I stand and examine the map a little while longer, wondering what Section 7 could be doing. There are no trees in space. I hear a far-off clattering sound that causes me to turn around and peer down the hall. I stand, waiting to hear more movement… After about thirty seconds, I turn back and look at the other map, which looks like a map of the hospital complex here. An O.R is pretty close by, down the hall where I heard the noise. It should have everything I need, hopefully. I turn away from the maps and start to head down the hallway, adjusting my glasses.

I stop at the first window I come to and peer inside, smiling a little. It's a highly-advanced operating room, empty and blood-spattered, but just what I need. I run over to the door and it opens for me. The door is against a wall, not at the end of a hallway. I suspect its sensory threshold might be in the shape of a circle and its sensor in the floor under the door, but I can't stop to investigate this time. I walk into the O.R and head straight to the operating table. Hanging from the ceiling is a chandelier-like robot with an arm that ends in some sort of strange contraption and a button near where I'm supposed to grip the arm to maneuver it. I press the button for a moment and a sharp sound stabs into my ears, causing me to flinch. I also see a bright red laser beam from the end of the arm and leave a glowing orange trail on the operating table. It's a medical laser!

The beam and sound ended as soon as I let go of the button. I look briefly around the room and see a set of earmuffs hanging from a hook by the door. I go and fetch them, slipping them onto my head, and then I head back to the operating table. A smaller table nearby holds what looks like a Titansteel tray that is filled with various medical tools, including a scalpel whose blade I recognize as a No. 60, one of the largest styles of scalpels. Perfect. Among the other tools, I also notice a medical bow saw with a grip just large enough to fit my hand. A little old to be in a highly advanced operating room, but even more perfect nonetheless. I set the No. 60 and the bow saw aside, then gather up all the other tools and take them over to the trash can, dumping them unceremoniously. I don't need any of them anyway. All I needed was the pan they were in.

I head over to the table again, and then carefully examine the laser bot. I find a dial setting higher up on the arm that's set to '2000'. I turn the dial until it's at '4000', hearing a soft shrill rising sound that indicates I've turned up the intensity of the laser. I grab the bow saw and position it carefully, and then I grit my teeth and turn on the laser again. The sound is like a low drone in my ear. It's annoying, but not as bad as before, when I didn't have the muffs. I slowly bring the laser across the table, cutting the bow saw where I want it cut. When I'm done, I turn off the laser and examine my handiwork. I've separated the blade from the handle! My idea's working so far! I carefully pick up the saw blade, then take it over to the trash can. All I needed was the handle, of course.

I head back to the laser, then turn its setting back down to 2000. Licking my lips, I set the Titansteel pan and set it on the table. Then I hold the U-shaped handle upright of the bow saw in the pan and position the laser with my other hand. I bite my lip as I turn the laser on again, aiming at where one end of the handle meets the pan. I hold the laser on for a few seconds, then turn it off and slowly lift the handle…

I can't help but smile widely as I watch the pan lift as well, attached to the handle, as intended. I set it back down and use the laser to weld the other end of the handle into the pan. Success! I push the laser away, then triumphantly lift my new improvised shield into the air with my off-hand. I throw off the earmuffs and pick up the No. 60 scalpel with my main hand, and I am now officially a swashbuckler!

Before I can bask in the glow of success for long, I hear the door open. I'm not close enough to the door… I turn around to see who's coming in, then I scream and quickly lift my Titansteel pan shield to deflect the bloody claws of an awful gurgling beast. I push the thing away with my shield and get a good look at it. It's a girl's body whose suit is covered in black blood. One of her ankles is turned the wrong way, and she has a glowing purple '1' on her suit. Oh, and she doesn't have a head. Shooting out of her open neck are quilled tendrils that whip around wildly, looking for something to stab into. I'm pretty sure this is Marie from One, but… what on earth has been done to her?

Her neck gurgles in almost animalistic rage and she aims one tendril at my head, firing its quill. I lift my shield just in time to deflect the bloody and boney projectile. I grip my scalpel and, with my shield still raised to defend myself as best as I can, I charge. Marie's undead, mutilated body fires two more quills. One is fired at the shield, and when she realizes she won't be able to pierce Titansteel, she aims lower at my leg. I feel the impact of the quill against my thigh and almost stagger, expecting horrible pain. Instead, the quill bounces off and my armor ticks from 10 to 7. I try not to lose step as I swing my scalpel and strike the generator on her chest, then batter her to the side with my shield again, listening to her armor tick away down to 6.

Her claws futilely try to swipe around the shield as I push her again and pin her to the wall. She kicks at me with her good leg and her neck-stump tendrils scrape at the pan shield. I grip the scalpel as tightly as I can and stab blindly over the shield, feeling impact with each stab. I hear both Marie's enraged gurgles and the ticking of her armor as I continue to stab quickly. Finally, the impact and bouncing off of the scalpel is replaced by the satisfying sound of the blade sinking into flesh. Black blood spurts from a wound I've created onto the wall behind Marie. I bring the scalpel back, and it's also wet with oily blood. Finally, Marie musters the strength to push me back. I stumble, but I keep my shield raised and see what damage I've done.

I dug a nice cut into Marie's left shoulder, and the wound is still spurting blood. I step back as she tries to charge again, swinging her good arm and firing more quills. I'm better at deflecting her attacks, and adrenaline surges through me at the thought that I have a shot. I stick my foot out and kick Marie back, then I drop the scalpel and turn to the laser arm. I quickly reach up and turn the intensity dial back up to 4000, then I grip the arm and aim it away from the operating table and toward Marie. I press the button and endure the sharp pain in my head as the red laser beam spears itself right through Marie's side. I move the laser up and the beam effortlessly cut through Marie's injured arm, causing a torrent of black blood to spurt on the floor. I don't stop there. I wildly move the laser across Marie's body over and over, reducing her to a pile of disgusting bloody chunks in only a few seconds. I turn off the laser and push it away, panting and staring at Marie's remains…

After a few moments, the pile of necrotic flesh melts away, and left in its place is a blue cylinder, a backpack, and a metallic container that looks like a lunchbox. I pick up the cylinder first, and as soon as I touch it, it melts against my hand and spreads into my suit. The glowing blue… stuff… moves across my suit toward my generator. When it reaches it, my entire suit glows for a moment and my armor is restored to 10. I pick up and open the lunchbox and find a simple ham sandwich and a carton of juice with a picture of an apple on it. I close it again. There's no way I have the stomach to eat now. Not after what I just did and saw. I put the lunchbox in the backpack, then sling it over my shoulders. I pick my scalpel up again and exit the O.R. I quickly power-walk back into the waiting room and look at the map I saw.

Where are you, Tixxie..?

A loud screeching sound causes me to gasp and flinch. I quickly realize it's not another mutt. It's a metallic screeching. Like a train. And it's close. With scalpel and shield in hand, I quickly run out of the front doors of the waiting room and look over the walkway railing. There's a train stopping in a station just a few flights of stairs below me. That train might be my best ticket to finding Tixxie! I rush over to the stairway and start my descent.

**(A/N: I really hate having to stop it here, but I can't go much further without going into things that I wanted to cover all of next chapter, so for now, we end on the note of Tributes - 1, Zombies - 0.**

**Congrats to Stads and Demigodgirl for correctly guessing Level 3's inspiration: Dead Space. Although I've never played any of the games (SCAAAAARY), I've seen gameplay videos. I've got a pretty good idea of what I'm writing. n_n**

**An idea has been bouncing around my head for a while: NPCs. That is, other people in Level 3 that are neither Tribute nor player-controlled Necro-Tribute. 'Survivors', if you will. Or maybe other zombies that don't have armor like the Necro-Tributes. I don't know about it, though, so tell me what you think in a review.**

**Also, I -might- do another SYOT after Game Over ends... ;3**

**Thanks again, readers! May all your Hearts beat with Calamity! I'll be updating Sylvan's Kinda-Sorta Love Quest before I update the next chapter for Game Over, so give that story a look while you're waiting. Review it! :D**

**Bye!)**


	45. Deaders

**(A/N: Welcome back, trib- I mean… Hungry Gamers! Don't look around; your world is not my virtualized arena. I promise. PINKY promise. n_n;**

**Anywho~ We're back to business with the third chapter of Level 3. Sorry this chapter is coming to you later than I would've hoped; I'm coming back up from a violent stomach virus. x.x Blegh.**

**We're going to be traveling back in time at the start of this chapter so I can address a little side plot that I neglected to address in the first version of this story and **_**started**_** to address in this version but never **_**finished**_** addressing. If there was a rating between T and M, this chapter would fall under that category.**

**Also, since it seems to be the thing to do, a blog for Game Over is currently being constructed. n_n Some of the pictures might not necessarily match the ages of the tributes/mentors they're supposed to portray, but I did my best! Link to the under-construction blog in my profile!**

**Follow me onward!)**

~Alto's POV~

_At the Opening Ceremonies…_

I wave to a couple of cameras out a window I pass as I head a bit further into the Training Center ground floor. I breathe out a sigh as I start to see the forms of other mentors. This is my first time in the Capitol since my Victory, and the first time I'll be alongside other mentors. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous, standing among the likes of Ruby Jenkins and Maximillion Thyst from One, older Victors like Mona, Fletcher, and Vobien, not to mention Pyra Johansenn. I didn't think anything would make me nervous after I won my Games, but I guess there's still some human in me somewhere, especially considering my Victory was rather recent, only six years ago.

I sit down on a marble bench near the small groups of conversing mentors, saying hello to each other after not meeting for a year, commenting on how different or similar each other look since last year, and just being familiar. Being a stranger amidst so much familiarity is… daunting. I breathe out a sigh.

"You must be Alto Herriot."

I lift my head to look up at a tall moppy-haired young man who looked about my age. His pale complexion and earthy brown eyes makes me suspect he's from District Eight before I recognize him and realize that's exactly where he's from.

"Scott Panjack. You won only two years ago." I identify him. He nods and extends his hand with a smile.

"Yeah, don't remind me." he chuckles as I shake his hand. "Saw District Two's recaps, and that you'd be taking Nimbus's place. Just wanted to say hello, and thank you for taking the 'new guy' mantle from me."

We both share a laugh, then I notice the camera flashes near the building entrance and that other mentors, Pyra included, were starting to head there. Scott claps me on the shoulder and his face slacks into a grim visage as he heads to the entrance as well. I'm content to stand and watch.

The parade is finished, and now the tributes are coming in for the night to head to their floors. I watch as the tributes and mentors from Eleven strut toward the elevator without re-mingling with the others. The unlucky girl tribute, Ariana, who I saw crying in her Reaping recap, does not look a quarter as forlorn as she did before.

I had my head so wrapped around being a stranger to the mentors that I almost forgot about the aches and burning my mind and body felt when I saw Rhymer's outfit. I look around for Pyra's messy mane of red hair, and when I see her, I see _her_, too.

All she's wearing is a single stone-grey ribbon of fabric taped to her boy that starts at her back and wraps once around her chest, then continue to swirl down her body, leaving slanted grey parallel lines above and below her navel. The fabric dips between her legs, then up her back, ending about halfway up her spine. A small pair of heels completes the provocative ensemble. Essentially, the only flesh on her body that's covered is the flesh that absolutely _has_ to be covered in public. I've never seen a chariot outfit that's so dangerous straddled the border between decency and inappropriateness. But I suppose that was the idea.

My eyes have had their fill of Rhymer's scantily-clad body, and they travel back up to her face, where I see she's looking straight at me with a soft, almost shy smile and a burning blush. Just then, Pyra's heavy hand conks me on the back of the head.

"Stop drooling, kid; you act like she's the first edible piece of meat you've seen in weeks." she snickers.

Rhymer's blush remains, but her smile disappears. She glares up at Pyra. "_WHAT_ did you call me? At least _I'm_ an _edible_ piece of meat!"

Pyra gives me a sidelong glance, and I remember what I had told her on the train. I clear my throat, and Rhymer looks back to me. I frown sternly and shake my head slightly, and Rhymer frowns back, relenting. "…Sorry, Pyra."

"Apology accepted, Whiner. Now get your edible little ass in the elevator." the superior Programmer snorts. When Rhymer turns to start moving, Pyra gives her a little kick to send her forward a step. I see Rhymer's fists ball, but she doesn't turn around. She keeps walking, her grey heels clacking against the floor as she goes.

Jet passes by us next, and it's the first time I've noticed him. He gives me a strange look as he heads for the elevator. Pyra chuckles under her breath as she heads to the elevator next, and I follow behind her.

"That wasn't cool, Pyra." I grumble to her. "I can keep her under control around you, but I won't tolerate you bullying her."

"Wow, someone's grown some stones. I was testing _you_, not _her_. You passed, so quit being sore." she says to me. "She's in your hands. Do what you have to her to keep her at her best ability and on her best behavior. I trust you'll keep it professional? No attachments to your tribute unless you want to risk fucking yourself over when she croaks. Golden rule of mentoring."

I stay silent, entering the elevator with her and our tributes

We're the only ones in the elevator as we travel up to District 2's floor. Rhymer's on one side of me, and in the brief moments we spend ascending, I feel her hand slowly reach over and clutch mine tightly, almost desperately. She's still angry.

The ding of the elevator welcomes us to our floor, and as the doors open, Pyra steps out first, then Jet. Rhymer starts to step out, but I grab her arm and pull her back in. With one hand, I press and hold the close doors button, so that the elevator won't be able to operate, an electronic flaw I noticed in the Capitol-style elevators we have at the Nut. I wrap my other arm around Rhymer, my hand cupping her bare hip, and I pull her close, pressing my lips against hers and kissing her strongly and eagerly. She squeaks in surprise, but is quick to contribute to the kiss, closing her eyes and hugging her arms around my waist. The kiss only lasts a few seconds, just long enough. I take my hand from around her and set it on her shoulder, pushing her gently against the glass wall of the elevator. She's starry-eyed and breathing heavily, and her face is as red as a beet.

"I'm proud of you." I tell her. She nods quickly, understanding. "Keep it up and there's more where that came from."

I take my finger off the close doors button and press the opposite button, stepping out as the metal doors slide open. I look behind me, and Rhymer is still frozen against the wall of the elevator as the doors close again.

_Present day…_

I barely hear the last thing Copper says before the screen in the Mentor's Lounge cuts away back to the Games. Right now, live images are being shown of some of the tributes. Bronwyn from Four stepping carefully out of the elevator she escaped to, gun drawn and pointed in front of her. Then it cuts to an image of the kid from Thirteen walking through what appears to be some sort of storage locker. He looks as scared as I expected him and the rest of the tributes to look, and he's wielding an axe. The axe his partner gave him before she turned and slew the Eleven.

Then it cuts to an image of Rhymer… She's lying on her side in an indistinct hallway, staring at nothing. The rising and falling of her chest and the occasional blink tells me she's still alive, but she's obviously deep in thought. It's been hard to get Rhymer off my mind, but seeing her now, the memories just start drifting before my eyes, and I can't stop them…

_Training Scores…_

We kissed again twice the day afterward, once before she went to her first day of training, and once that same night. I had to scold her before she went to her second training day for quarreling with Pyra, but rewarded her that night. I let her with me in the room I was sleeping in, and we took it a little farther than kissing, but nothing major then.

Rhymer had gotten a tad upset when I asked her to go to bed before a lot of the clothes came off. She asked if she could sleep in my bed, I told her it wasn't a good idea. Then I got weak. I should've scolded her when she complained about my decision. I didn't. I soothed her and promised I'd make it up to it if she got a nine or higher in private training. She and I both knew what we meant at the time. She smiled, agreed, and kissed me goodnight. I spent the rest of that night, and all morning the next day after she left for private training wondering what happened to me.

I compromised. Compromise is for the weak. I wasn't supposed to get weak. I didn't get weak before, so why now? Inside, I knew. It wasn't just me, and it wasn't just her. It was us, together. I felt it from her since our first kiss on the elevator. Before then, she just looked at me in wonder and admiration, plus some bashfulness. From our first kiss the day after we kissed in the elevator, she's looked at me with more. I noticed this, but I didn't want to put a name on it until now, when I have to. Love. Rhymer's falling, or already fallen, in love with me.

Like I said, it wasn't just her. I haven't been looking at her the same way either. The first time I saw her in District Two, and every time I've seen her between then and the elevator, lust burned in my chest. I only stayed into Rhymer because of her body. Even when I saw her chariot outfit, I lusted for her. Something changed when I saw Pyra continue hassling Rhymer with the kick after she had apologized. I don't know if it was right then or if it was something that had been building, but I felt what I felt. And when I kissed her in the elevator, I felt it full-force, but I didn't want to put a name on it until now, when I have to…

Love. I'm falling in love with Rhymer.

That's why I weakened with her that night. Why I promised her what I promised her. Why I couldn't get sleep. Which brings me to now.

"Nine!" the newscaster announces Rhymer's score. I see her take in her breath of surprise. I see the small knowing blush. I smile and reach out to ruffle her hair.

"Pretty good, pretty good." I say, which gets a giggle out of her. That giggle is the last thing I remember before my memory starts getting warm and hazy. I don't even remember if anyone said anything after that. All I remember is what I think is minutes later, both of us in my unlit room, kissing as feverishly as we can. I remember clothes being dropped everywhere.

I remember her giggling as I playfully push her down onto my bed.

And sometime between then and when I woke up the next morning with her asleep on top of me, I remember seven words being said. Well… three words said twice, plus one extra.

"I love you…"

"I love you, too…"

_Present day…_

I shake my head as I feel that ache in my chest. I have to take my eyes off the screen, look at something else, like my surroundings. I look around and find that I'm mostly alone in the lounge. Vobien is sleeping on one of the couches, an empty bottle lying prone on the small table beside him. The District Three mentors are sharing another couch. Corla is leaning on Manx sleepily, and I'm surprised neither has moved yet. I'm the only one in a chair, leaning forward with my arms on my knees in a seated slouch. It's past evening, and the light from the Capitol's buildings leaves the world under an eerie glow.

Rhymer's image remains in my head even after her scene cuts to someone else. My eyes fall from the screen and look between my knees at the floor. I don't know who said 'I love you' first. All I remember is that one of us said it, then the other said it back. I can't even put a voice to the words…

Regardless, that's what I told her. I loved her. And in retrospect, it doesn't matter who said it first that first time. Yes, the _first_ time. Those words were said again before she left… I close my eyes. Oh, Rhymer…

_Translocation Day…_

That next evening, she had her interviews. We didn't say much to each other the morning of. The smiles spoke volumes. Each time she'd pass, that same smile would pass over her face. And a similar smile would pass over mine. We never touched while Jet or Pyra was around, not before that night and not afterward. As it turned out, that day either Jet or Pyra _would_ be around _with_ me and Rhymer, or Rhymer wouldn't be around, and I didn't care who else was around me.

That day, the most I had said to her was that she looked beautiful in her interview dress. Like I said, we didn't _have_ to say much to each other. The smiles said plenty. It crossed my mind a couple times, was that all we were? Sex and sultry smiles? I realized while watching her interview that even _that_ kind of thinking was absurd. She was going to be gone tomorrow, and she might not be coming back… This might be my last night with the first person who I told I loved.

Good feelings mixed with confusing thoughts make for a frustrated Alto. I didn't wait a moment after I saw her leave the stage. I knew my way back to the elevator from where I was in the audience. I excused myself from my place next to Pyra as Jet took the stage, making my way to the edge of the row of seats and hurrying from the auditorium.

I catch Rhymer by the arm before she touches the up button on the main elevator. She gasps as she turns and looks me in the face. I stare deeply into her bright green eyes and know in my heart that for as little time as we have left… we're more than sex and sultry smiles.

I press the elevator button for her and hold her close as we ride silently up to District Two's floor. We don't kiss until we're standing in the same place we feverishly kissed the previous night. Unlike last night, full of desperate heat and mindless passion, the first kiss of that evening is laced with gentleness. Tenderness… Love.

Unlike our first time the previous night, I remember every detail of what happened between us that time. Details that are mine and Rhymer's alone, and will never be shared with anyone. We won't verbally agree on this, but I know Rhymer will take her memories of our love to her grave.

I wake up first the next morning staring at the pale grey ceiling above. The conditioned air is cool on my bare chest, and I feel the heat and presence of someone beside me. I see her shift in the corner of my eye. Her toes touch my ankle. Soft skin grazes my hip. My head slowly turns. The slightly curved hill of her lower body covered under the sheets tells me that she's lying on her side before I see the back of her blonde head. She's facing away from me, and she's stiller than I've ever seen her. Ever.

I turn on my side as well and scoot closer to her until her body rests in the curve of mine, my chest against her bare back. I move her hair away and begin to gently kiss a sensitive spot on the side of her neck until she squirms silently.

"Hey, what's wrong…" I grunt softly, still waking up. She doesn't answer.

"Rhymer…" I grunt again, rubbing one eye. Still nothing.

"Rhymer." I say, stronger. "I swear I will tickle you until you cry."

I see her cheeks twitch slightly, and I know she's awake and fighting a smile, but she still doesn't answer.

"Alright." I say casually before softly jabbing my fingers just above her hip, tickling her mercilessly. She reacts immediately, yelping and flailing, nearly throwing the covers off of us.

"Ah! Stop! Stop!" she cries, her head flailing back and forth as she laughs and turns toward me. I stop tickling her when I see her face. I look at her and see that she _has_ been crying…

"Rhymer…" I mutter, my smile disappearing. "Tell me, now. What's the matter?"

I run my hand through her hair as we meet eyes. All the mirth drains from her face and she looks somber. "I don't want to go, Alto…"

Those six words are filled with so much pleading and emotion, I have the urge to just hold her in my arms forever and kill anyone who tries to take her from me. I wipe her eyes, then hug her close, our bare chest smooshed so we can feel each other's breaths in and out. My lips touch to her jaw, then move to graze her ear.

"I don't want you to go, either." I tell her softly. She goes still in my arms again as she breaths and listens to me. "But between all the moments we've had, this is what I've been preparing you for, and this is what you've been training for. You're strong, Rhymer. You're one of the strongest girls in Panem. You can win this for us, okay?"

She sniffles, and I kiss her jaw gently again. "I need you to tell me you're going to win for us."

"I-I'm gonna w-win…" she whimpers softly.

"Okay…" I murmur skeptically. "What do I have to do to get you to tell me like you mean it?"

"Love me." she says immediately. "It's still early, it looks like. We can have our last bit of fun for a few hours before I go? Please?"

I almost oblige. "Rhymer, you don't know how badly I want to…"

"I think I do." she giggles, cuddling into my body.

"I do, but I can't. If I do, it won't convince you to go. It'll only make you want to stay even more. And you _have_ to go and win for us."

"But…" she starts to whimper.

"There's plenty more where last night came from when you come back." I chuckle as I kiss her neck. This calms her a little, and her soft, idle body motions return.

"You promise?"

I give her a stupid look. "No. I don't promise I'll have sex with you when you win the Games. You'll have to take your chances."

She punches me in the chest. "That's not what I meant, dummy. Do you promise I'll win?"

"That's something I should be asking you. The only reason I'm talking as if I know you'll win is because I assume you'll try your hardest. If you try your hardest, you _will_ win. Do you promise to try your hardest?"

"Of course." she murmurs.

"Then _you_ promise you'll win." I say declaratively. "Now, get out of my bed and take a shower. You smell like me."

"Ew." she mewls, playfully scrunching her nose as she gets up out of bed. She walks slowly toward her clothes on the floor, knowing that I'm looking at her. "You _sure_ you don't want those last few hours?"

"If you don't get out of my room in three seconds, I'll spend those last few hours with you over my knee and you're going to love every second of it." I warn, sitting up and grinning at her.

She giggles and scoops up her clothes, not even redressing before she scampers out of my room and toward her own.

I run my hand over my face and through my hair, sighing. I open my eyes just in time to see Rhymer bolt back into my room in her underwear, close the door, then leap and tackle me in my bed. The sheer randomness almost makes me shriek. She cups my face in her hands and presses her lips to mine. I follow through, my hands cupping her bare sides. The kiss is only for a few amazing seconds.

"I didn't want your last words to me to be a spanking threat." she says to me with a smile. "I know what I want them to be."

She kisses me gently again before she pulls back and says, "I love you, Alto."

The response is natural and automatic. "I love you, too, Cherry Butt."

She gives me a strange look, her guard lowered. Then I pounce, quick as a cat, flipping the script and sitting on the edge of the bed with her squirming, struggling and laughing over my knees. "That's how red you're gonna be once I'm done with you!" I promise her playfully, lifting my hand for the first smack.

~Rhymer's POV~

The memories, still clear as the day I lived them. I smile softly, then relax. It's not over for us yet. Even though it looks like I'm basking in the afterglow of some space apocalypse, I'm no farther away from Alto than I was when I was squatting next to a heat block next to my District partner, whose location I won't even begin to hope is close.

This is a sad year for the Careers. The only time we were really together and working was right at the beginning, and we were on fire. We killed four people in under the time it took to sit through an interview with Copper. But after Kyrain and Hunter stepped in and nearly single-handed batted us away, that's when we fell. Literally.

The Career Pack has fallen, and I'm reluctant to try and pull it back together… How can I, with only me and Jet? That's not a pack, that's an alliance. I pull myself to my feet, and before I can stop myself, I click the zipper on my suit and turn off the armor with a soft _byooooouuup…_

I unzip the armor down to just below my boobs and lean against the wall as I take a moment and let the heat escape from within my suit. I sigh softly, looking down at my sweaty chest. This is probably the stupidest thing I've done in the arena so far, but it's way too hot where I am. Wherever I am.

Something tingles directly in front of me, and in a blue flash, a container appears. A silvery metal box with seemingly no way to open it, besides what looks like a… twisty-thing on its top end. I grip the twisty-thing between my thumb and index finger and twist. The twisty-thing twists off with a pop, and the sides of the box slowly fall away and hiss. I lick my lips. Inside the box is a few warm, steaming drumsticks, a bottle of lemonade, and a note. I pick up the note and read it quickly to myself.

_You can still win. So win. :)_

Six words, and they're enough to make me blush and give me hope. With my suit still unzipped and open, I sit cross-legged against the wall and enjoy every bite of juicy chicken and every cool swill of delicious lemonade. The food is a pile of bones in a minute. I like my messy greasy lips, then wipe my face on my sleeve, like a real lady. I'm not really that hot anymore, but having my suit like this is comfortable. I'm not zipping it back up until I absolutely need to.

I'm aware of a familiar electric humming now. I've heard it faintly at JACCT, and it cuts off whenever we shut down for the night. I must be in some sort of power division of this odd space building thing. I hear a crash nearby, and without rezipping my suit, I grab my melee spear and start to run toward it. I don't know why, but I'm drawn to it for some reason. My instincts are telling me that it's something I should see, and my instincts are 86% reliable.

I hardly care that I'm baring my boobs to whatever cameras might be above or around. I'm just interested in finding the source of that noise. I hear it again. A dull thud of metal against metal, followed by a human grunt, an inhuman growl, and the sharper clash of metal against metal.

People. Tributes. I pick up the pace.

~Kyrain's POV~

My feet slam down into the floor with a heavy bang. I snarl as dull pain shoots up the leg that the Eight brat clubbed with his fancy mace. Nothing I can't bear through, but it's starting to piss me off.

I crack my knuckles quickly, then turn to where I jumped from. I hear them coming. Bring it on.

The first Deader leaps off the retracted bridge, her wild eyes and bloody fingers outreached to grab me. The scream she lets out is a strange one, because her voice is distorted because of her lack of a nose. I had no idea how crucial a role the nose played in making a voice a voice. I do now.

I cock my fist back and slam it into the woman's face a moment before she would've grabbed me. Her thin little form goes flying to the side and into the nearby wall. She grunts like a wounded animal, the wall she impacted with stained with her evil black blood.

I waste no time. I walk up and swing my foot right into where her nose would be. She grunts again, but she's not re-dead yet. So I kick again. Harder. Time is not on my side.

She screeches in frustration and grabs my ankle, latching her teeth onto my foot just as the next two jump from the entranceway above on the wall.

"Dammit…" I growl, listening as my armor ticks from 6 to 5 as this stupid zombie gnaws on my foot. I smash her head with my free foot, and her face warps and caves in gruesomely. She croaks and twitches, then goes still. I wrench my foot from her grip and turn to the two newcomers.

Children, under sixteen. One boy, younger, one girl, older. Boy's missing his upper lip and is forced to expose black and green gnarled teeth and the girl has an impossible hole in her right shoulder and heavily jaundiced eyes. It's not Aylau; her death hasn't been announced. It's my sister, Macey. And the boy is my brother, Nixie. And the woman whose face I smashed is my mother, Trisha.

These Gamemaker bastards put the faces of my family on these computerized Deaders to scare me. Well, the jokes on them. This is the closest I'll get to killing my stupid parents and her other stupid children.

Other than Macey and Nixie, I've got three more on the way. My littlest brother Silin, my good ol' dad, Galon, and someone who didn't fit: the mousy girl from District Six. I think her name is Sorrel. She's gonna be tougher. Her mouth is stitched completely shut, first of all. She can't make a sound, unlike the rest of them, who can't help but make horrible noise. She _could_ already be here, watching, waiting for a moment to join my siblings in the strike. She snuck up on me shortly after I woke up, and she's the one who brought my armor from full down to six with a few swipes from the bone blades jutting out of her palms. She's turned into a zombie ninja.

Nixie charges first, followed quickly by Macey. I can already hear Silin's shrill shrieks coming from far down the entranceway I just jumped from. I have to hurry and get out of here. Even if I do manage to put down all of my relatives, Deader Sorrel is going to be a problem. She outmaneuvered me _alone_. Adding friends won't help me. Not to mention unlike my Deader relatives, she has armor…

My gauntlets creak as I ball my fists and swing. Two quick hooks. One sends Nixie lumbering off to one side, winded. The other sends Macey spiraling to the floor. I step on her back and eye the rotting hole in her shoulder. With one hand, I grab her arm just above the elbow and wrench back twice. The first wrench snaps her arm and makes her scream. The second tears her arm off and causes black blood to explode from the wound while she screamed. I pressed my foot hard into her back, and more blood gushed steadily. It was like putting pressure on an unsealed inflatable mattress. Her screams stop almost instantly and she stops moving. Hey, now…

I turn just as Nixie gets up, then I punch him to the ground before he can turn. Another foot in the back. I suspect his head's the weak point since most of the rot's there. A few twists, a crack, and a mighty pull brings his head right off. The rest of his body flails for a moment as blood fountain from his open neck, then he goes still. I can't stick around any longer. I pitch Nixie's head up at the entranceway, and by some miracle, I catch Silin right in the face, causing him to stumble and tumble to the ground instead of jumping. He lands on his head and the sound is gruesome. I don't know if he's re-dead and I don't stick around to find out. I sprint toward an open entranceway across the room. I turn my head back just in time to see my father's bloody, gored face a he charges after me. Just the sight of him…

When I get through the door, I catch a glowing panel out of the corner of my eye. Without thinking, I smash it, and the door closes, draping me in absolute blackness. Galon was still a little ways away when I closed him out.

I blink and slowly get myself adjusted to the darkness. And when I turn around, I'm staring at her silhouette, her greenish-blue eyes glowing in the darkness like a cat's. _Dammit._

I don't waste more than that second and swing. But her eyes close and I strike empty air. She's gone as quickly as she was there, and she's still close. I can't fight this bitch in the dark, where's she's comfortable and I'm not. I have to bring her to my level. So I start running. I don't bother being discreet about it. I swing my fists wherever I can and at whatever I even _suspect_ moved an inch. Several times, my fist slams into the wall and sends dull echoes down the hallway. There are spots dancing in my vision, and I gullibly swing at them as I stumble down a hallway. Then I see it. Light, up ahead. And she's standing just under one of the fixtures, staring at me.

The stitches are messy and crisscrossed, but they do the job. Her lips haven't moved once since I've seen her. Her wide eyes say everything they need to. They're filled with the glaze of death, yet at the same time, unimaginable hatred and bloodthirst. Her flesh is grey and rotten, her mousy hair is matted with black blood, and below the open wound in her neck where her throat was sliced when she died, there's just a curtain of dried blood draped over her lower neck and the front of her suit.

Her arms are warped from the elbow to allow more fluid swings and motions, and jutting from her palms are what look like bones, sharpened to nasty points. Slowly, her lip stretch against her stitches in a disgusting manner, and she smiles at me. Taunting me. Beckoning me.

I breathe heavily as I stare into the face of my opponent. She's far worse than Meaghen, Ellie, Paisley, her kid brother, and the arm cannon freak combined. But today, my punishment ends. I'm not going to be put down any longer by Tributes or Deaders. I roar with all my strength and run straight toward her. She doesn't move. I keep running, fists raised. When I'm a few feet from range, I plant my feet squarely on the floor, hoping by now that she'd taken the bait. She did. My gamble worked, and she swung at me just as I dead-stopped myself, missing just barely. Before she can whip back and swing with her other bone blade, I swing my metal-coated fist and make solid contact with her nose.

She stumbles back, thumping against the wall behind her as her armor reaches 7. I press my luck and try to swing again, but she bends herself backwards and my fist hits the wall. Her wrist thrusts back and the blade hits me in the kidney. I take a quick step back, listening as I go from 5 to 2. I only get angrier. I kick out at her knee and she doesn't expect, crumpling to a kneel and only 5 armor. Then another smack to the side of her head into the wall. She's winded, and her armor goes to 2 as well. I step back and feel my back brush into something. Instinct tells me to whip around, which might be my worst mistake, but at this point, trying to fight instinct is like trying to fight Sorrel in the dark.

I turn and the first thing I see is a head of orange hair. He's turned around just like I have, both of us having let instinct take over. Behind him now is a tall and muscular boy with his neck hanging askew and his hands plated with thick, rough bone, his fists appearing to be permanently balled in rigor mortis. His head looks deader than the rest of him, but he still looks aggressive and active. I recognize the frozen face. He's the first person to have died in the arena, and the first one I killed. Kern Rankline.

The still-living orange-haired boy barely meets my eyes before he swings. I raise one gauntlet just in time to deflect one of the blades in his hands, sending sparks and a loud clang through the air. I turn to his side, keeping him at bay with one hand and trying to deflect another one of Sorrel's blade swings.

"I ain't your enemy yet!" I growl, pushing the kid, who I recognize is from Two, against one wall to get him out of the way of one of Kern's heavy fist swings. He bounces his back off the wall and retaliates slashing Kern's generator with his sword. A blue flash lights the air, and I furl my brows as I see a second similar sword fall into the boy from Two's free hand. I don't dwell on it. I face Sorrel, he faces Kern, and we stand back to back. Sorrel stares at me, at bay for now, and I assume Kern's staring at Jet.

Then I hear a shrill shriek and a roar somewhere away. Galon and Silin are coming.

"Well, isn't this a nice pile of shit we're in." Jet murmurs.

"Couldn't agree more." I growl, cracking my knuckles.

~Ebony's POV~

I don't think I can remember a time when I've been more still and quiet…

I exhale a breath as I see the tall boy from Three look around as he wandered out of the train, having not noticed me at all in the ten minutes minimum we spent feet away from each other. I had considered trying to ambush him, but then I saw the dull scratches in the makeshift shield he carried, along with his large knife, soaked from the tip to near the hilt in dried oily blood… I didn't want to take my chances.

When the doors close, the train starts moving, and I'm sure I'm alone, I stand and sit in the seat beside where he had been sitting and drumming his fingers against the pan shield. I have no idea where I am at this point. I woke up curled in the seat of a train, in what I saw was 'SECTION SIX - CENTRAL STATION' outside the foggy train window. I could've sworn I saw moving shadows in the darkness outside before the train started moving for the first time. I got a sponsor-delivered meal a while ago, but I'm not sure exactly how long I've been on this train.

More time passes, and I groan up to the ceiling.

"Please, sponsors…" I nearly beg. "Can I _please_ have a weapon? _Pretty_ please? I won't waste your money, I promise."

As if this is what I needed to say, moments pass before there's another blue flash. A dark metallic crossbow has materialized beside me, mechanized to be reloadable. Beside it is a pouch of bolts, I'm guessing.

"Ah, thank you…" I say, finding a place to strap the bolt pouch to my hip. The train also lurches, seeming to slow down. I stand, planning to get off here. As the train stops, I click something to load and ready a bolt, then aim at the door, ready to shoot if anything's on the other side. When the doors open and nothing is there, I start to relax, then take a step out of the elevator. I immediately notice the large metal letters on the wall nearby: 'SECTION FIVE - CORE STATION POWER'.

The first and only entranceway leads into a hallway of closed doors. Nothing but humming and wires behind each one. I start to get bored and consider heading back to the train, but I'm sure it's gone by now. A faraway banging sound draws my attention, though. Still having the bolt clicked into place, I start toward it, my footsteps soft against the metal floor. It only takes a few turns for me to see them. The cool boy from Two and the monster boy from Ten standing back to back down the hall. From here, I can see the face of what looks like the girl from Six. _What? _Her bright wide eyes turn away from Kyrain and look at me, and in that moment, he strikes, sending a metal fist right into her face. From here, I see her armor completely shut off.

The same moment Sorrel stumbles back, two other screaming people come running in from a hall beside her. I don't recognize them, but before I know it, my crossbow is raised. A sharp click indicates a fire, and I watch a small black blur fly over Jet's head, arc down with gravity, and sink into the throat of the smaller screaming thing. He falls back and chokes, black blood surging up through the wound made in his frail skin. His buddy, much older and more mangled-faced, is unfazed and keeps charging toward Kyrain. Sorrel slipped away into the shadows.

I start to run toward the two other tributes as Jet from Two starts trading blows with his own opponent whose back is to me.

_Click-pow! Click-pow! Click-pow! _Three bolts, right into the unknown opponents back. They bounce off, but I hear them kill his armor. In an impressive swordsmanship display, Jet brandishes his blades and literally disarms his opponent. The male roar from the undead-looking beast is cut short as black blood explodes from his wounds and he falls to the floor.

Further down the hall, I hear a girl call, "Jet! Oh, shit, Jet!" I look and see the other Tribute from Two. Where the fuck are all these people coming from, and what are they all doing in this one section? I don't complain. I search for another shot, finding it in the giant monster of a man locked in a power struggle with the slightly smaller monster of a boy. _Click-pow!_

A bolt flies into his neck, and he flinches. Kyrain roars as he powers forward toward Rhymer in his opponent's moment of weakness, who yells herself and lifts her spear, driving it into the monster-man's back when he is close enough. The necrotic-looking man roars, and to add injury to injury, Kyrain brutally tears most of the man's arm off that's closest to the place where Rhymer stabbed him. Another fountain of blood. The man falls to the floor.

"Duck!" Jet calls to me as he runs toward me, swords raised. I don't duck in time, and I feel sharp pressure on the back of my neck, sending me forward onto my knees. Jet steps around me and quickly swings both his blades. I hear metal meet flesh, and as I rub my neck, I turn just in time to see one of Sorrel's hands fall to the floor. One of Jet's blades opened up a gushing wound in her neck. Some human reflex still hidden in Sorrel's decaying body causes her to bring her good hand up to cover the wound. Big mistake. She drives the bone blade in her palm right into her neck wound, and more blood spurts. She stumbles back, her wide eyes darting around, to Jet, me, Kyrain farther back. She kinda looks like she just realized she did something embarrassing, and really, she did. Finally, the artificial life placed into her undead body goes out. Her eyes roll back and she falls, fully dead again.

The silence is loud… A buzzing in my ears, reaching and groping for some outside noise and finally finding it in heavy footsteps. Kyrain, walking toward me and Jet. Jet, blades raised, walking toward Kyrain. Rhymer with her spear raised, following behind Kyrain. I stand up and rub my neck, following Jet.

The four of us meet and stare down in the T-path where Jet and Kyrain stood back to back. Jet's got a thin sheen of sweat on his face. Kyrain's face and suit is covered in blood and sweat, and Rhymer… Her suit is unzipped and her chest is bared and sweaty… Why? And has she noticed, yet?

Another loud silence…

"So…" Rhymer starts, picking at the teeth to her suit's zipper. She noticed. "Either of you wanna be a Career?"

**(A/N: Ow, romance, ow, pain, writing, ow… T-T I hope I did a good job, but I always feel my romance scenes are crystalline! Leave your thoughts, reviews, and suggestions concerning the romance scene. I'd like to hear your thoughts! I'd **_**always**_** like to hear your thoughts! n_n**

**Fun fact: This chapter was originally going to be called 'Sex and Sultry Smiles' but I didn't know if that was appropriate, and it seemed FAR too surreal a title for the second half of this chapter. I only want to scar you guys _so_ much. I've got my limits. xD**

**This chapter brought to you by Deadite Mia from Evil Dead. **_**We're gonna get you…**_** *shiver***

**No more 'Necro-Tributes'. Thanks to Kyrain, the undead Tributes are officially going to be called the Deaders. You're welcome.**

**This chapter introduced hostile NPCs (Kyrain's family). Maybe next chapter we'll see some friendlies. :3**

**Review, Hungry Gamers! And **_**maybe**_** I won't have Deader Sorrel standing over your bed when you go to sleep tonight. Maybe.**

_**MAYBE.**_

**n_n But seriously, review!)**


	46. Infected

**(A/N: Welcome back! The first Tribute contact in the arena has been established, and right now it's Tribs - 3, Deaders - 0. Will that change this chapter? Probably. I don't know. *shrug***

**But! We're sure going to be seeing some more stuff going on! I know how much my Hungry Gamers **_**love**_** stuff. :3**

**Demigodgirl, I was way ahead of you on the couple names. I thought of Alto and Rhymer's names, and it took three seconds for 'Alzheimer' to roll through my mind, and I nearly spit out my lemonade, then felt bad about finding it funny. Thus, Rhalto.**

**SUPER-DUPER EXTRA SPECIAL CHALLENGE! There's a plot mistake somewhere in the last chapter. If you can find it and identify it, I will love you forever and give you an everlasting computerized hug. The only hints I'll give you is that the mistake is really early on, and if you're at Rhymer's training score, you've gone too far into the chapter.**

**I realized as I started typing that there was no way I could begin this chapter without teasing you guys. I could start with the tributes we've yet to see at all in Level 3 (Hunter, Aylau, Franklin), but I'd be teasing you about what's happening with the Careers and with Trexxie (alternatively Tixler), and if I start with either of the others, I'd be teasing you with the others I **_**didn't**_** start with!**

**Although by mentioning this, I'm probably letting you know I'm teasing you when you didn't know you were being teased before… xD**

**Forget I said anything! Onward!)**

~Jet's POV~

"First, where did all you people come from?" Ebony asks beside me. I look over at her, and her odd eyes look at Kyrain, then Rhymer, then me. "I just got off the train and heard banging. I thought it was only one tribute, not _three_."

"Well, I woke up here. I walked in hallway circles, got bored and sad, laid down, got back up, gave my boobs some air, and heard the same banging you did." Rhymer explains casually. I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose.

"Rhymer, zip up your suit." I tell her. She huffs and does so, and I hear her armor humming again. "I woke up in some laboratory with a bunch of half-built crap covered in blood. I just stayed still until most of the vision in my bad eye came back. The only thing that looked like it worked was some kind of portal thing with its settings at five. Something tackled me from behind and pushed me into it, and I ended up right down the hall from _him_."

My eyes rise to Kyrain's face, and his dark eyes squint. "I was being chased by that spike-handed zombie ninja bitch and my undead family."

"Chased? You _ran_ from something?" I question.

"I ain't a coward for being smart. I woke up in the dark, and I couldn't fight anything there. So I left to find light. Yes, _I_ was chased, and I killed _three_ before I got here. Any more questions?"

He scowls deeply, and I can tell standing still's a challenge for him. Does he have what Rhymer has? Or is he just crazy? Pretty sure he's crazy.

"I asked one, and I'm waiting for answers." Rhymer says, raising her hand. "Do either of you want to be Careers? We lost the two from One somehow, and we could use your eyes and your… Kyrain-ness."

She gestures first to Ebony, then to Kyrain. His face doesn't move, as if he didn't hear her, but Ebony looks thoughtful, so Rhymer turns to her.

"You. You killed one of those munchkins from the Anti-Pack. You already qualified for Career-dom."

Ebony's eyebrows rise. "Anti-Pack?"

"Used to be a big group of misfits from the misfit Districts. At least six. Now all that's left are the two from Eight and the girl from Ten."

"Siblings and the bum-hand girl." Ebony nods, eyeing Kyrain. His face still doesn't change.

"Exactly. Rhymer wants to exterminate them so future tributes don't get the same idea these losers had. I think it's a waste of time, but whatever." Here, Rhymer sticks her tongue out at me. "Like she said, you killed one. Might as well join us."

Ebony goes silent for a moment. "What about Jinstance, my District partner?"

"He any good at anything?" I question.

Here, Ebony turns her eyes away. "Well… He's fast. And he can throw knives."

I shrug. "I'll think about it. You in or not?"

"…Yeah, I'm in." Ebony says.

"You don't want me." Kyrain says, breaking his silence, but keeping his face blank. It's almost like a warning. "I don't play well with others."

"Oh, okay." Rhymer says. "Well, since we all kinda helped each other, I guess you can-"

"_You_ don't have a choice, Ten. You're with us." I say, interrupting Rhymer. She looks at me, bewildered, then up at Kyrain, who is staring me right in the eyes.

"Maybe you didn't hear me…" he starts.

"Maybe _you_ didn't hear _me_." I throw back. "You don't have a choice. You're with us, or we kill you. Three against one. You may look it, but you're no titan, Ten. You've got two armor left, and once that's gone, you're just a human. A human that can be easily become headless."

There's a long moment of silence. I know this is going to work. He's no idiot, and I'm prepared to risk anything. He squints, the tenseness in his muscles and quickened breath obviously showing anger. Then he starts to laugh lowly.

"Oh, I get it… You're trying to control me. I don't know if you noticed…" he starts, tugging the neckline of his suit and showing the ring of red flesh around his throat, where he had his shock collar. "I can't be censored and I can't be controlled. I beat the shit out of everyone around me as soon as the collar came off. I would've killed them all, but that wouldn't have gone over well after I won. You will regret this, I promise you."

"I don't think you understand what kind of shit you're in, kid. Look around. It's _three_ against _one_. You will not get away from this. This isn't some shock collar punishment for misbehavior. We aren't beating the shit out of you like I bet your dad did."

I took a shot, and it worked. _That_ got his face to change. I saw the guy he was locking arms with near the end of that 'Deader' battle. Through the bloody holes in his cheek and forehead, the guy looked like an older version of Kyrain, and the look on Kyrain's face as he finally re-killed the Deader gave me a little hint. I'm glad I hit the nail on the head, but I don't stop there. I just keep hammering.

"Believe me when I say, we will _kill_ you if you don't comply with every one of our orders. Rhymer may have been asking you to be a Career, but I'm not. I'm _telling_ you that you're our Megaweapon. Any more ques-"

He moves before I can finish. A swift elbow flies back into Rhymer's chest and she flies back with a gasp and a flounder for breath. Luckily, her suit was zipped again, or that might have killed her. Then he quickly goes for me. It was surprising, but I'm ready. I swing one of my shining blade and he catches it in one gauntlet.

_Click-pow!_

A bolt bounces off Kyrain's generator and shoots out the rest of his armor. His free hand swings and knocks the crossbow out of Ebony's head just as she fires a killshot. The bolt goes off-course and bounces off the metal walls, floor, and ceiling. Ebony screams and ducks down, hands over her head. I waste no time, and I shove my free sword straight into his generator.

He grunts and goes still, staring right into my eyes. I stare right into his. The bolt stops bouncing around and clatters to the floor. Ebony rises to her feet and picks up her crossbow. Rhymer groans as she starts to pick herself up, her armor down by three. I notice all of this out of the corner of my eye, because I know if I turn my attention away from him for a moment, he'll push me back and get away. I didn't stab him all the way through. I know I pierced skin, though. Slightly.

"Now, then…" I whisper. "If you move or speak… If I get the slightest impression that you're going to do something about this… At this point, if you even _breathe_ too hard, this sword is going to skewer your heart, and I'm going to watch you die a stupid death here on the floor."

He doesn't move, and he doesn't speak, but his eyes are filled with unmatched hatred, and he slowly starts to smile, a wide and terrible grin from ear to ear. This is almost enough to make me fully stab him like I promised. I keep talking

"Listen up. You've got no armor. You tried to prove you're a titan and you failed like I told you that you would. You say you can't be controlled, but right now, I control whether you live or die. I'm your god now."

Bold thing to say, but I know he won't do anything. He's got too much will to live. He expressed this in his confidence that he'll win. _I_ exposed a weakness, and I'm milking it for all it's worth.

"You are under the ownership of the Career Pack until we decide we're done with you. You're going to help us kill the rest of the Anti-Pack. Then you're going to help us kill 'Tixxie Finnegan' and get us her Megaweapon. Then you're going to help us kill Hunter from Four and his traitorous sea wench. Then if you survive all of that, you're going to help us kill whoever's left. Someone's gonna win this Quell, and it's not going to be _any_ of the people I just mentioned. You have permission to speak. Anything you want to say?"

"You think you're such a badass group." he laughs, the grin still on his face. "_And_ you don't think I planned for this to happen. I disabled all three of you in less than ten seconds. Took one down with an elbow, disarmed the other with a swing of the hand, and I didn't have to do anything to _you_. You're just the big-talking bitch who promised to kill me if I tried anything. Well, I tried something. Three against one. And I'm still alive. Just as planned"

I squint. My heart thumps hard once and my hand tenses. I almost push forward and finish him…

"You threaten me because my life is in your hands. You threaten me because I'm your weapon. Do you realize how stupid that is? How many warriors threaten their swords and shields? How many archers threaten their bows and arrows? How many Peacekeepers do you think threaten their whips and guns..? You _need_ me. If you didn't, you or your two bitches would've killed me by now."

He laughs for a moment, then casually clears his throat and continues, as if he's in control of the conversation. "Sure, I'll do whatever you say, but don't delude yourself. You're no better than anyone else who tried and failed to control me. I can't be controlled. I make my own decisions based on my best interests, and right at this moment, it's in my best interests to comply. Now, be a good boy and take your pretty sword out of my chest so you can point me in the right direction."

There's a long moment of silence. I should kill him right now… But he's our best chance at surviving here, what with all the zombies and shit running around… This level of the arena is a lot more frightening than Kyrain. I pull my blade free, and only the tip is bloody. The sword punched a line-shaped hole in his generator, but Kyrain doesn't seem to mind. I nod straight ahead, and he turns around, passing a panting Rhymer without even a glance. Ebony and I follow behind him, and Rhymer catches up in a second.

"I didn't stab him." Rhymer whispers to me. "That's only because I thought you had a good plan. You still do, but keep your guard up."

I nod, staying close behind Kyrain as we make our way down the half-lit hallway. The toxicity in the air is almost tangible. But this won't last long. He won't survive as long as I told him he would. As soon as I'm sure we can take down the rest of the Anti-Pack without him, I'll chop his head off before he knows it.

~Paisley's POV~

I realize quickly that this place is meant to represent District Four. In hindsight, it should have been the boilers I woke up around that tipped me off, but as it turns out, what now lets me know where I am is the large aquarium exhibit I've entered.

As I stand in front of one particular tank, clearly the largest in the room from what I see, I'm tempted to put my hand on the glass, even though a plaque nearby warns not to do so, as I stare in both wonder and horror at the water in the tank. At the very top of the tank, the water appears clean and clear blue, though as my vision makes its way lower and lower down the tank, the water quickly takes on a strange grey pallor until about halfway down the tank, where it begins to get incredibly murky so that I can't see out the other side. At the very bottom of the tank, the water is so dark, murky, and heavy that it looks like a foggy night on the tank floor...

All life seems to be in the top half, and there's not a lot of it. Only twelve colorful fish swimming around in a nervous circle where the water isn't murky. Covering the floor of the tank, on the other hand, is a carpet of fish skeletons and corpses. Some of the bones are bleached, while many others are stained a sickly grey. The corpses are grey and slick with some sort of black fluid. Some of this black fluid stains the glass in front of me.

_Dirty?_

That's the first thing that comes to mind as I stare at the vile tank, but when I try to think about what kind of filth can collect and compact so locally at the bottom of the tank, and _kill_ so many fish, I just... draw a blank.

_Poison?_

...I briefly entertain the absurdity of some jerk poisoning a fish tank, but I have to wonder why the poison would only leave twelve circling fish alive. Maybe they were put in after the tank was poisoned? But wouldn't that destroy the point? I squint up at the fish, wondering why they were so special...One of them, seemingly forgetting why it was circling to start with, breaks from its nervous loop and swims down toward the point where the clear grey water suddenly becomes murky and very dark. Something near the bottom of the tank catches my eye. There's something dark moving in the murk, and it's quickly approaching the unsuspecting normal fish.

_It's not poison..._

I almost scream for the fish to look out, but at the last second, I realize that doing so would be fourth-degree stupid. So instead, I just gasp, wide-eyed as an eyeless fish coated in the same black fluid as the corpses on the tank floor lunges from the darkness of the fog and sinks its fangs into the lower half of its poor victim's face. The other fish seem to notice, and immediately break their circle and start to swim wildly around the top half of the tank in a panic as the atrocity and its prey thrash and struggle in the water. I almost have to cover my eyes, fully convinced the monster is trying to rip the fish's face off. The two wrestling creatures slam into the glass above, and with a tug of finality, the monster twists its victim's lower jaw right out of its head and retreats into the fog again with its prize...

The other fish return to their nervous circling, one short. I bite my lip as I watch the dead fish slowly sink into the fog, close enough to the glass so that I can still see it somewhat clearly. It continues to sink, and as it does, my eyebrows scrunch together. As the blood pours from the fish's mangled mouth... it seems to turn black along the way out. The border of transition between red blood and black blood gets closer and closer to the fish, until it appears that the fish is bleeding black instead of red. Then things get scarier.

The fish twitches in the foggy water. Then it jerks. Then it _writhes_. I want to look away, but it's impossible, and I force myself to witness the _dead_ fish's terrifying metamorphosis. Black blood seeps from between its scales as its body wrestles with itself, and several long, knife-like teeth shoot out of its upper jaw. Finally, the fish seems to relax, except for that it's no longer fully dead. I just watched a fish turn into a zombie.

_Dirty? No..._

One of the zombie fish's dead, unblinking eyes looks straight at me, _into_ me. As if it's judging whether or not it could rip _my_ jaw out. Of course, it can't, but I'm too scared to think rationally, and I take a step away from the tank. The stare is held for a moment longer, and then the fish turns and swims into the foggy darkness, out of view.

_Poisoned? No..._

_Infected._

That's the first word that comes to mind, taking into account everything I've just seen. I'm sure I could come up with better words after enough thought, but _infected _sticks with me. It makes my spine tingle... I approach the glass of the tank and put my hands on it, both awed and scarred by this hellish sight. My terrified mind only works to make itself more terrified as I ponder upon the purpose of the Gamemakers implementing this. Is this supposed to represent us? The twelve of us left, running in circles? The twelve that are like Thorne, waiting for us to slip up so they can strike and kill and...

_Turn us into one of them?_

**(A/N: I'm not dead! I've been stuck in panic mode for the past few weeks because of my school play! So sorry I've been so quiet! xD**

**This chapter isn't one of my best, I know. I've been so busy that I'm stuck in Mediocre Mode, plus I'd feel terrible making you guys wait a day longer for a chapter that's at least two weeks overdue. I need a break. *smoke pours out of ears***

**That said, I'm gonna have to take a hiatus for... about a week? All the ground-floor carpets in my house are super-wet and super-not drying, and my mom is calling in guys to rip out the carpet and drywall, find the problem, and, well, dry it. Gotta pack my crap and ship it (and me) to grandma's so no internet for a little while. :( What luck that I come off an unannounced hiatus, give you guys a chapter-half-full, then have to go on an actually announced hiatus. Really sorry, guys. T-T**

**In the meantime, check out the GAME OVER blog, leave a comment, if you want, and check out some of my other stories!**

**On a final note, remember when I told you guys that I might be making another SYOT? Well, I _also_ might be making a sequel to Game Over, under the working title of Stale Bread and Circus Freaks. Can't give you a summary, since that would be SPOILING _THIS_ STORY, but there's nothing in the spoiler rulebook that says I can't just pitch random things at you guys that may/may not happen in SB&CF and have hardly any bearing on this story at all. Ready your mitts.**

**CRAZY REDHEAD BEATS UP A PEACEKEEPER.**

**WE MEET THYST'S SON.**

**IT RAINS IN DISTRICT ONE.**

**STUFF FLIES. PEOPLE CRY.**

**A BUS FULL OF CHILDREN IS HIJACKED.**

**PRESIDENT CENTARI GETS _REEEEEAL FUCKIN' ANGRY!_**

**WE LEARN RUBY'S REAL NAME.**

**FIRST LADY CENTARI FALLS DOWN ON STAGE.**

**_TONS_ AND _TONS_ OF SCREAMING.  
**

**THE LIZARD-MUTTS THAT KILLED FINNICK MAKE A CAMEO.**

**WE LEARN THAT THE MORE YOU HATE SOMETHING, THE STRONGER IT GETS.**

**WE SEE PRESIDENT CENTARI'S BEAUTIFUL DINING ROOM.**

**BITCHES GET SHOT.**

**DEATH.**

**Take from ALL of that what you will. n_n I hope my fastballs didn't hit anybody in the nose! Until my stupid house gets fixed, readers, may all your Hearts beat with Calamity! Bye now!)**


	47. Hand-Icapped

~Jinstance's POV~

_Oh, crap! Oh, crap. Oh, crap..._

The same thought has run through my head for almost the millionth time today as I wander through this dark, broken place. At first, it was out of panic and fear of being in such a strange and scary setting... Much worse than Level 2. After some time, the panic and fear settled into cold hard terror as I narrowly avoided being seen by a lumbering monster... I don't know how I managed to stay perfectly still in the darkness as the thing passed by the corridor I was about to exit. She wore a suit like mine, with a purple '5' on her chest. Her skin was ashen and decomposing, and there was a long black cut that extended from her lip, down her chin, to just under her throat. I stood for a whole minute afterwards before daring to move...

Now? That fear and panic has faded into just dry fear and frustration. I don't know where Ebony is. I barely know where _I_ am. I don't know how I'm supposed to win this. I'm just walking around and waiting to die. It's not like I could actually kill someone if given the chance. My knives do all the work. Killing Thorne was an absolute fluke. My knife wouldn't have killed him if Bronwyn's spear hadn't broken through his armor first. The little Eleven boy was killed by one of my knives, too, by Ebony. She traded her weapon for mine, so as far as I know, I'm walking around fully armed with a sharp axe while she's completely defenseless against other things like that monster I saw earlier.

I lift my head and blink. At some point, I had put myself on autopilot and just blanked out in deep thought. Where I am now is not where I was the last time I looked up. I'm standing just inside a pair of giant half-closed double doors. A plaque along the wall to my right reads 'Pantry E'. Before him was a large hallway, and on either wall were rows upon rows of canned food...

I don't realize how hungry I've been until just this moment. A bright grin spreads on my face as I run to the closest row and grab the first big can I see. A cartoon chicken with one eye winking and with his wingtip feathers giving me a thumbs-up stares back at me. My mouth already waters as I drop my axe and use my now-free hand to pull the can tab and pop the metal lid off of it. I stare for a moment at the perfectly pre-cooked skinless chicken within, and am seconds away from scooping it up and swallowing it whole. My smile fades a little as I watch the water in the can start to cloud up and turn grey. Soon after, the chicken's bones fade grey, and soon after _that_, the chicken's tender pink flesh turns ashen, grey, and shriveled. Then it starts to squirm in the can.

Uh.

Before I can be properly freaked the hell out, the chicken, which had _definitely_ been dead before I opened the can, leaps onto my chest. A dry gasp of panic scrapes my throat as I drop the can and smack the zombie chicken to the floor. It writhes for a moment, and then I watch as it hops off further into the pantry. Suddenly, I'm not feeling all that hungry anymore... What the heck happened? The food was fine before I opened it... I go over to another row of cans and pick up a can of sliced peaches, it looks like. Biting my lip, I pop the lid like I did the canned chicken, staring inside at the juicy fruit. Staring... Nothing happens. The peaches are still juicy and delicious after several seconds, as opposed to the chicken, which started to change immediately... I'm so confused.

The smell of the peaches brings back my appetite, and I eagerly pop a couple slices of fruit into my mouth. It's not meat, but it's certainly refreshing, and as long as it's not coming to life, I've got no complaints. Before I can eat a third, I hear a yell from somewhere ahead of me. A surprised girl's scream. There's someone else here... I pop the lid back on the peaches and slip it under one arm, picking Ebony's axe up with the other and starting forward to investigate. My steps are silent, my jaw is set, and my eyes are squinted. I'm probably as serious as I've ever been with food in my hands.

I'm coming closer to the rear of the pantry and closer to where the sound _must_ be coming from. At this point I can hear faint breathing. But just as I turn my head to stare into the space between the last shelf and the back wall, something metal comes flying and hits me right in the face. It doesn't hurt as much as it surprises me, and I fall back with a yell and a flinch. Before I can recover, I sense something leap over my body and start to sprint for the pantry entrance.

I force my bearings back in place and climb to my feet, picking up the axe and ditching the peaches.

"Hey!" I yell to the little shadow sprinting for the entrance. "Get back here!"

No dice. It doesn't even appear that whoever it is looks back. I start to run after whoever it is, vaguely aware of the sound of rumbling coming from somewhere…Growling, I start running a little faster, still screaming over the rumbling after the fleeing figure for her to stop, against my better judgment. There's no way a tribute's gonna stop for a boy she just beaned in the face with a full metal can of foodstuff. Even if it didn't really hurt.

The girl flees the dark pantry into the light of the outside hallway, and I catch a glimpse of dark hair and pale, yellow-tinted skin. I stop short, then keep running. The girl with the broken hand.

"Hey, wait! Ten girl!" I call after her as I leave the panty as well and relentlessly pursue her. "Stop! I'm not going to hurt you!"

Years of fleeing pissed-off Peacekeepers have made me quite nimble. From the time I started running to now, I've closed more than half the distance between us. She walks with a slight stumble, and here hands are in front of her, as if one is clutching the other. I look up for a moment and see what she's running for: a train platform. The train there is still and quiet, the doors open and welcome. The Ten girl pants heavily as she nears the train, and I slow down a bit so I can stay behind her. We both rush into the train just as the doors start to close.

The girl, Aylau, I think her name, is, turns and presses her back against the far wall of the train car, staring up at me as she pants heavily. Her right hand is swollen, and it's not wrapped in the metal device I swore I saw on her before. How long has she been walking around with an unprotected broken hand?! The pain must be unbearable, and I can tell from the look in her eyes that it is. But she's still going, even though she's...hand-icapped. Even though she's super-young like me and has almost no chance of winning. I blink. Why does she go on?

"Hey..." I start, lurching to the left as the train starts moving. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just-"

"What the..." I turn my head to the sound of the voice and meet the grey eyes of the boy from Eight. He looks at me, then Aylau, the back to me. "...You were with the girl who killed Chiro."

That's all the motivation he needs to start getting violent. He runs at me full-speed, clutching what appears to be the hilt of a weapon. He starts to swing it as I'm paused in confusion, and as it arcs through the air, pink energy beams from it and forms the head of a morningstar half a moment before it hit me in the head. I stagger back, stunned, and I raise my axe just in time to block another strike as my armor dips from nine to five.

"Quit it! I didn't kill your friend!" I try to argue. "I don't want to fight you!"

"Then die!" Franklin growls, swinging again. I barely dodge, and I have no choice. I've gotta swing back. The axe arcs through the air and catches him in the side, dropping him, to my surprise, from five to one.

"Franklin! Franklin, stop!" Aylau shouts, running up and pushing Franklin away with her good hand, making sure to keep her bad one as far away from any sort of contact as possible. "Stop it! We need allies!"

I back up, and Franklin stares coldly at me, but looks back at Aylau when she pushes him again. "Stop."

Franklin sighs, then he relents, the weapon dissipating back into just a hilt again. I drop my axe and raise my hands to show I mean no harm, and Aylau turns to look at me.

"You said you weren't going to hurt me," she says. "I'm sorry I hit you with a can; I thought you were a zombie. W-what's your name again? Jambox?"

"Just Jinstance is fine," I sigh, sitting down in one of the seats. "You're Aylau. And you're Franklin, clearly."

The young Eight boy gives me a sour look. Quite the grudging temper he has... "Aylau may trust you, but I don't. You're buddies and District partners with the girl who murdered Chiro. I know it, and my sister knows it. She's gonna decide what we do with you."

My life depends on two twelve-year-olds and their matron. I lean back and slouch down in my seat, feeling a little scared now... Paisley seemed like a sweet and cool girl when I saw her during the interviews. The Eleven boy was one of her allies. If she's anything like her brother... I might be in trouble.

~Bronwyn's POV~

I point my gun as soon as the door opens. After taking a moment to breathe hard, check behind me, then scan the area, I start to move forward, all of my steps careful. My ears are open to any noise. My muscles tensed for any surprise. My mind is alert, my heart is leading me forward…

I crossed into Sector 2 within a few minutes. This place, which looks like it may have been inhabited before, is completely quiet and empty of life. Whatever happened on this space station must have been devastating… Why am I thinking like this..? This arena is virtual. Nothing happened here. It was built like this. I shake my head, clearing the confusing thoughts, then continue forward.

Right now, I'm making my way down one of the many hallways of what appears to be a barrack. The walls are dark metal and appear scratched in some places, bloodied in others. If my hunch is correct, there's at least one other tribute in this sector, assuming he or she hasn't left yet. I'll find traces, somewhere…

I'm about to turn down a corner into another hallway when a bolt of lightning streaks right past my face. It doesn't hit me, but the proximity sears my brows and makes my eyes water. The crackling pops my ears and a vibrating whistle fills my hearing. I scramble backwards, raising my gun to shoot at whatever is attacking me as it rounds the corner. My blood chills as I identify him.

He has a huge hole in his chest, which is being filled by thick arcs of glowing blue bioelectricity. His skin is dark grey, bulging and seared, especially in the face. That face. I'd recognize the person I betrayed anywhere.

Agate.

Electricity surges from his very pores as he stares at me with eyes frozen in wild hatred. I scream and fire several shots at Agate. Unlike Ariana, he doesn't have a generator, so the bullets do pierce his skin. However, the effect is strange. Electricity explode out of his wounds and sears the wall and ceiling, making it glow orange in small spots. It doesn't seem to hurt Agate more than it makes him angry, and he roars, an odd sound, a mix of human and machine, almost… Whatever the sound is, it scares me enough to scream and start running away in the other direction. I can tell from the electric buzzing and pounding feet that he's following me, getting closer…

Then I remember he can shoot lightning. Or rather, he reminds me, by sending a needle-thin dagger of pure energy right into my back. The boom sends a ripple straight through my body and out of my chest. My armor is what keeps me from exploding… I go flying forward and hit the ground face-first, alive, but trembling in agony. I have armor… It's not supposed to hurt this much…

I roll onto my back to see him standing over me, aiming. The blast brought me down from 10 to 2, but I feel like another direct hit will kill me, armor or not. I'm going to be the first person to die in Level 3…

Before I can close my eyes to accept my fate, I see a shadow approach Agate from behind, quickly grabbing the lightning zombie in a headlock and wrenching him away. Agate surges with electricity and roars as he's thrown aside, thwarted in his attempt to finish me off. My savior growls as he's shocked by Agate's shocking aura, and I recognize it. I'm suddenly yanked to my feet and pulled away as Agate rises again.

The glowing metal head of a trident separates Agate from my savior. I'm so out of breath, both from my fright and from his arrival, that I can't speak.

"Now _this_ is the Hunger Games I imagined…"

Even though in this inappropriate situation, I can't help but let a big smile spread as wide as possible on my face as Hunter holds his trident steady in one hand and holds me back with the other.

"Got bullets left?" he asks me, turning a stern eye for a half a moment in my direction before focusing fully on Agate again.

"Y-Yeah…" I say, shaking my head and snapping out of my reverie. I'm not a damsel in distress, I'm a tribute in the Hunger Games. Hunter Riverson just saved my life, and I'll be damned before I let this monster make his saving me be in vain and kill us both. I reload, ready to help.

~3rd Person POV~

Paisley left shortly after watching one of the twelve fish die. Thirty minutes passed before it happened again. A fish left the ring, swam too low, and was claimed. Ten fish left.

**(A/N: I swear on all that is holy, someone is **_**dying**_** next chapter! Ugh! I've stalled the deaths for too long, and it's time to get the Games moving forward, so sayeth Calamity Heart. T-T *SNIFFLESSSSSSS***

**I'm back! Home repairs are taking longer than expected. The reason this is coming to you so late is because I only realized two weeks ago that I have Microsoft Word to Go on my phone. That's right. This entire chapter was brought to you BY PHONE.**

**Next chapter will be much better than this one. :P Only one pair of star-crossed lovers has yet to meet, and they most likely will. Or not. Who knows? I do! :D You'll know next chapter!**

**Once again, sorry for the long wait and short chapter. I'm suuuuuuuuuper-annoyed that I'm not at home yet, and I will type on my phone as fast as I can to get the next chapter to you in a timely manner, mmkay? Mmkay.**

**May all your Hearts beat with Calamity! Until next time! C.H. is out! PEACE!)**


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